FBI Releases 2013 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted
FBI Releases 2013 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted
According to statistics collected by the FBI, 76 law enforcement officers were killed in line-of-duty incidents in 2013. Of these, 27 law enforcement officers died as a result of felonious acts, and 49 officers died in accidents. In addition, 49,851 officers were victims of line-of-duty assaults. Comprehensive data tables about these incidents and brief narratives describing the fatal attacks and selected assaults resulting in injury are included in the 2013 edition of Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, released today.
Felonious Deaths
The 27 felonious deaths occurred in 16 states. The number of officers killed as a result of criminal acts in 2013 decreased by 22 when compared with the 49 officers who were feloniously killed in 2012. The 5- and 10-year comparisons show a decrease of 21 felonious deaths compared with the 2009 figure (48 officers) and a decrease of 30 deaths compared with 2004 data (57 officers).
Officer Profiles: The average age of the officers who were feloniously killed was 39 years. The victim officers had served in law enforcement for an average of 13 years at the time of the fatal incidents. Twenty-five of the officers were male, and 2 were female. Twenty-five of the officers were white, and 2 were black.
Circumstances: Of the 27 officers feloniously killed, 6 were killed in arrest situations, 5 were investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, 5 were ambushed, 4 were involved in tactical situations, 4 were answering disturbance calls, and 2 were conducting traffic pursuits/stops. One was conducting an investigative activity, such as surveillance, a search, or an interview.
Weapons: Offenders used firearms to kill 26 of the 27 victim officers. Of these 26 officers, 18 were slain with handguns, 5 with rifles, and 3 with shotguns. One officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.
Regions: Fifteen of the felonious deaths occurred in the South, 6 in the West, 4 in the Midwest, and 2 in the Northeast.
Suspects: Law enforcement agencies identified 28 alleged assailants in connection with the felonious line-of-duty deaths. Twenty of the assailants had prior criminal arrests, and 6 of the offenders were under judicial supervision at the time of the felonious incidents.
Accidental Deaths
Forty-nine law enforcement officers were killed accidentally while performing their duties in 2013. The majority (23 officers) were killed in automobile accidents. The number of accidental line-of-duty deaths increased by 1 from the 2012 total (48 officers).
Officer Profiles: The average age of the officers who were accidentally killed was 41 years; the average number of years the victim officers had served in law enforcement was 13. All 49 of the officers were male. Forty-one of the officers were white, 6 were black, and race was not reported for 2 officers.
Circumstances: Of the 49 officers accidentally killed, 23 died as a result of automobile accidents, 9 were struck by vehicles, 4 officers died in motorcycle accidents, 4 officers were killed in falls, 2 were accidentally shot, 2 drowned, 1 died in an aircraft accident, and 4 officers died in other types of duty-related accidents. Seatbelt usage was reported for 22 of the 23 officers killed in automobile accidents. Of these, 14 officers were not wearing seatbelts, 3 of whom were seated in parked patrol vehicles. Eight officers were wearing their seatbelts at the times of the accidents.
Regions: Thirty-one of the accidental deaths occurred in the South, 9 in the West, 5 in the Northeast, and 4 in the Midwest.
Assaults
In 2013, of the 49,851 officers assaulted while performing their duties, 29.2 percent were injured. The largest percentage of victim officers (31.2 percent) were assaulted while responding to disturbance calls. Assailants used personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.) in 79.8 percent of the incidents, firearms in 4.5 percent of incidents, and knives or other cutting instruments in 1.8 percent of the incidents. Other types of dangerous weapons were used in 13.9 percent of assaults. Expanded assault details have been included in the 2013 publication. Data for assaults during which officers were injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments are located in new tables, figures, and selected narratives.
Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2013, is available exclusively on the FBI’s Web site at <http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr-publications>.