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Officers Accidentally Killed
This page provides information regarding accidental line-of-duty deaths of duly sworn city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers who met the same criteria as officers feloniously killed.
Overview
- In 2010, 72 law enforcement officers died as the result of accidents that occurred in the line of duty.
- Accidental line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers occurred in 27 states and the District of Columbia.
- 26 of the 72 officers accidentally killed were employed by city police departments, 22 were employed by county agencies, 19 were employed by state agencies, and 5 were employed by federal agencies.
More information about these topics (including annual totals from 2001 to 2010) is
provided in Tables 48, 49, 59, 60, and 64.
Victim profile
- The average age of the officers who died accidentally in 2010 was 39 years.
- The average length of law enforcement service for the 72 officers accidentally killed in the line of duty was 11 years.
- Of the 72 officers who were accidentally killed, 60 were white, 8 were black, 2 were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 1 officer was Asian/Pacific Islander. The race was not reported for 1 victim.
- 67 of the officers were male; 5 were female.
More information about these topics is provided in Tables 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, and 58.
Circumstances
Of the 72 officers who were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2010:
- 45 died as a result of automobile accidents.
- 11 officers were struck by vehicles.
- 7 officers died in motorcycle accidents.
- 3 officers were accidentally shot as a result of crossfire or other firearm mishaps.
- 6 officers died as a result of other types of accidents.
Of the 11 officers struck by vehicles:
- 7 were directing traffic or assisting motorists.
- 4 officers were executing traffic stops or roadblocks.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of circumstances in which officers accidentally died) is provided in Tables 61, 62, 63, and 64.
Assignments
- 47 of the on-duty officers accidentally killed in 2010 were alone at the time of the accidents.
- 23 on-duty officers had assistance at the time of their fatal accidents.
- 2 officers were off duty.
More information about this topic is included in Tables 59, 60, 62, and 63.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the officers who were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2010:
- 39 officers were employed by law enforcement agencies in the South.
- 14 officers were employed by law enforcement agencies in the Midwest.
- 11 officers were employed by law enforcement agencies in the West.
- 8 officers were employed by law enforcement agencies in the Northeast.
More information about this topic (including annual totals from 2001 to 2010) is provided in Table 48.
Months, days, and times of incidents
- In 2010, the greatest number of accidents resulting in the deaths of law enforcement officers (15) occurred in June.
- More officers (17) were fatally injured in accidents on Friday than on any other day of the week in 2010.
- 39 officers were fatally injured in accidents that occurred between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and noon.
- 32 officers were killed in accidents occurring between 12:01 p.m. and midnight.
More information about these topics (including annual totals from 2001 to 2010) is provided in Tables 50, 51, and 52.