Detailed Assault Data

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The following information concerns duly sworn federal, state, city, county, university and college, and tribal law enforcement officers who were assaulted and injured in the line of duty with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in 2019. The law enforcement officers included in this report also met certain other criteria.

Although the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Program has collected aggregate assault data for more than 50 years, the program began collecting more detailed data about assaults with injury more recently. The data collection for these assault incidents is similar to the comprehensive data collected about law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty. However, the detailed assault with injury data reflect only a subset of the assault incidents reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The detailed assault data were introduced in the 2013 publication with only 1 year of data. For 2016, selected tables presented 5 years of detailed assault data. Beginning in 2017, 10 years of detailed assault data were presented.

Overview

• In 2019, detailed information was received for 75 law enforcement officers who were injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments during assault incidents. (See Table 89.)
• Of the officers assaulted and injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments, 48 were employed by city police departments, including 25 who were members of law enforcement agencies in cities with 250,000 or more inhabitants. Eighteen officers were members of law enforcement agencies in metropolitan counties. (See Table 90.)
• Detailed data in reference to line-of-duty assaults with injuries from firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments were received from 22 states and the District of Columbia. (See Table 89.)
• By region, of the 75 victim officers reported, 45 officers in the South were injured as a result of assaults with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments, along with 11 officers in the Northeast, 10 officers in the West, and 9 officers in the Midwest. (See Table 89.)

Victim profile

• The average age of the officers who were assaulted and injured by firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in 2019 was 36 years old. (See Table 102.)
• The officers’ average length of law enforcement service was 9 years. (See Table 102.)
• Of the officers who were injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in 2019, 69 were male, and 4 were female. The gender was not reported for 2 of the victim officers. (See Table 103.)
• By race, 63 officers were White, and 9 were Black/African American. Race was not reported for 3 officers. (See Table 103.)

• 15 officers were participating in investigative/enforcement duties (tactical situations, investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, handling persons with mental illnesses, etc.).

• 11 officers were responding to crimes in progress.
• 9 officers were assisting other law enforcement officers.
• 9 officers were involved in tactical situations.
• 7 officers were injured in ambush (entrapment/premeditation) situations.
• 7 officers were involved in pursuits (foot or vehicular).
• 4 officers were responding to reports of crimes.
• 3 officers were responding to citizen complaints.
• 3 officers had responded to disorder/disturbance calls.
• 2 officers were involved in arrest situations.
• 1 officer was injured in an unprovoked attack.
• 1 officer was injured while performing an administrative assignment.
• 1 officer was involved in an “other” activity.
• Circumstances were not reported for 2 officers who were assaulted and injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments.

• 52 officers were on assigned vehicle patrol when they were assaulted and injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments.

• 20 officers were assigned to other duties, such as detectives, officers on special assignments, undercover officers, or officers on other types of assignments not listed.
• 3 officers were off duty but acting in an official capacity at the times of the attacks.
• 58 on-duty officers were assisted at the times of the attacks.
• 14 on-duty officers were alone and unassisted at the times of the attacks.

Weapons

• 63 officers were assaulted and injured with firearms. Of these, 41 were injured with handguns. (See Table 116.)
• 12 officers were injured with firearms when they were 0-5 feet from the offenders. (See Table 120.)
• 42 officers fired their own weapons. (See Table 106.)
• 25 officers did not use or attempt to use their weapons during the incidents. (See Table 106.)
• 7 officers attempted to fire their own weapons during the incidents. (See Table 106.)
• Firearm use was not reported for 1 victim officers. (See Table 106.)

• 69 of the 75 officers injured in assaults by firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments were wearing uniforms. (See Table 122.)
• 67 of the 75 officers injured were wearing body armor. Of these, 66 were also wearing uniforms. (See Table 123.)
• 72 of the 75 victim officers were wearing holsters at the times of the incidents. Of these, 69 were also wearing uniforms. (See Table 123.)

• More officers (13) were injured during assaults with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments that occurred in August 2019. (See Table 97.)
• More officers (14) were injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in assaults that occurred on Mondays than on any other day of the week. (See Table 94.)
• 46 officers were injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in assaults that happened between 12:01 p.m. and midnight. (See Table 95.)
• 29 officers were injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments in assaults that happened between 12:01 a.m. and noon. (See Table 95.)

In 2019, 61 alleged offenders were identified in connection with the law enforcement officers assaulted and injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments. (See Table 127.) Of those offenders, the following characteristics are known:

• The average age of the alleged offenders was 36 years old. (See Table 128.)
• 59 of the alleged offenders were male, and 2 were female. (See Table 129.)
• 33 of the alleged offenders were White, and 26 were Black/African American. The race was not reported for 2 of the known assailants. (See Table 129.)
• 48 of the alleged offenders had prior criminal arrests. (See Table 133.)
• 9 of the alleged offenders were under judicial supervision at the times of the incidents. (See Table 132.)
• 14 of the alleged offenders were under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance(s) at the times of the incidents. (See Table 132.)

Information about officers assaulted and injured with firearms, knives, or other cutting instruments can be found in Tables 89-133 of this publication.