Table 67
Law Enforcement Officers Accidentally Killed
Type of Accident by Type of Assignment, 2013–2017 1
Circumstance | Total |
Two-officer patrol |
One- officer patrol |
Investigative/ detective |
Tactical assignment (uniformed) |
Plainclothes assignment |
Special assignment |
Undercover |
Court/ prisoner security |
Other 2 |
Off duty |
|||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | Alone | Assisted | |||||
Number of victim officers | Total | 238 | 21 | 105 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 14 |
Aircraft crash | Total | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Equipment failure or malfunction | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Pilot error | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Inconclusive after investigation, ongoing investigation, etc. | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Drowning | Total | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Safety equipment used (flotation device, scuba equipment, etc.) |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
No safety equipment used | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Safety equipment usage not reported | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Fall | Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Safety equipment used (fall protection/harness, helmet, etc.) |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
No safety equipment used | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Safety equipment usage not reported | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
Firearm-related incident | Total | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
Accidental discharge while cleaning weapon |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Crossfire | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Mistaken for offender | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Training mishap | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Other accidental discharge | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Motor vehicle crash (car/truck/SUV/van) |
Total | 135 | 15 | 81 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Wearing seatbelt | 63 | 6 | 40 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
Not wearing seatbelt 3 | 59 | 7 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | |
Seatbelt usage not reported | 13 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Motor vehicle crash (ATV/motorcycle) |
Total | 27 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Wearing helmet | 23 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
Not wearing helmet | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Helmet usage not reported | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Motor vehicle crash (watercraft) |
Total | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle |
Total | 40 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Wearing high visibility clothing | 14 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Not wearing high visibility clothing 4 | 21 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
High visibility clothing not reported | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
Other accidental | Total | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
- 1Ten years of data for the topics presented in this table are not available at this time. A 10-year table is expected to be available for the publication of 2020 data.
- 2Includes officers on overtime/extra duty activities and other types of assignments not listed.
- 3Of the 59 victim officers who were fatally injured in motor vehicle crashes and were not wearing seatbelts, 7 were seated in parked motor vehicles at the time of the accident.
- 4The lighting conditions were dark at the time 8 of the 21 victim officers who were not wearing high visibility clothing were fatally struck by vehicles.