FBI Director Defends Law Enforcement in New Op-Ed
Genesee County, Michigan Sheriff Chris Swanson, National Police Association spokeswoman, Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith and Blue Lives Matter NYC founder Joseph Imperatrice in a report showing that 2022 was one of the most dangerous years for police.
Line-of-duty deaths of law enforcement officers plummeted last year as the coronavirus pandemic eased, but deaths from firearms remained historically high, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
At least 64 officers were shot and killed in the line of duty last year, matching the number of firearm deaths from 2021.
But those 64 firearm deaths in each of the past two years represent a 21% increase over the average number of officers killed by criminal firearm assaults over the past decade. An average of 53 officers were shot and killed each year from 2010 to 2020.
Trevlyn Headley, a member of the New York Police Department Ceremonial Unit, unveils new names on the Police Memorial Wall during a ceremony at One Police Plaza, the New York City Police Department headquarters.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
While firearm deaths remained high, overall line-of-duty deaths fell 61% to 226 last year, primarily due to a massive reduction in COVID-19 deaths.
An additional 40 officers died from traffic-related accidents in 2022, an increase of 29% over 2021. The remaining deaths were attributed to other causes, such as falling objects and fire-related incidents.
MISSISSIPPI POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN SHOOTING, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY
Of the 226 officers who died in the line of duty last year, 204 were men and 22 women, while each officer killed left behind an average of two children.
A June 2022 procession for two police officers who were killed in the line of duty in El Monte, California.
(Fox Digital News)
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The elevated levels of gun deaths in the past two years come as violent crime has skyrocketed in both cities and rural communities across the United States.
“The number one concern I hear from local law enforcement leaders is gang violence and guns, whether it’s gangs terrorizing a community, youth graduating from carjackings to even worse violence, or dealers who transport drugs through a neighborhood and flood it with crime”, Christopher, director of the FBI. Wray wrote in an opinion piece for Fox News last week.
