Home1) There are approximately 700,000 sworn
law enforcement officers now
serving in the
United States. About 10 percent of them are females.
2) Each year there are approximately 38 million
crimes committed in the
United States, an average
of one crime every two seconds.
3) Crime fighting has taken its toll. Since
the first recorded police death in
1794, there
have been more than 14,000 law enforcement officers killed
in the line
of duty.
4) A total of 1,613 law enforcement officers
died in the line of duty during the
last 10 years,
an average of one death every 54 hours or 161 per year.
There were 116 police deaths in 1996, the
lowest since 1959.
5) On average, more than 65,000 law enforcement
officers are assaulted
each year and some
23,000 are injured annually.
6) The deadliest year in law enforcement
history was 1974 when 268
officers were killed.
The deadliest decade was the 1970's when a total of 2,182
officers died, or 218
each year. That figure has dropped dramatically in the
1990's to150 per year.
7) The deadliest day in law enforcement history
was November 24, 1917,
when nine Milwaukee
(WI) police officers were killed in a bomb blast at headquarters, and a
10th officer from the Columbus (OH) Police
Department was shot and killed.
8) New York City has lost more officers in the line of duty than any other department, with 533 deaths. California has lost 1,205 officers, more than any other state. The state with the fewest deaths is Vermont, with 15.
9) There are 795 federal officers on the
Memorial, 317 correctional
officers and 27 military law enforcement
officers.
10) There are 114 female officers listed
on the Memorial, only six of
whom were killed prior to 1970.
11) More officers have been killed in January
(1,355) and December
(1,329) than during any other months of
the year.
12) During the last 10 years, more officers were killed on Fridays than any other day of the week. The fewest number of fatalities occurred on Sundays.
13) More officers were killed between 8:00
to 10:00 p.m. than during any other two-hour period over the past decade.
On average, one law enforcement officer is
killed somewhere in America nearly every other day. The first known line-of-duty
death occurred in
1794, when U.S. Marshal Robert Forsyth was
shot and killed. Since then, over 14,000 officers have died while performing
their duties.
New York City has lost more officers than any other department, with more than 500 deaths.
The state with the highest number of police
deaths is California, with more than 1,200.
Vermont has the fewest deaths, with 15.
A complete state-by-state
breakdown follows.
ALABAMA 366
NEBRASKA 90
ALASKA 28
NEVADA 51
ARIZONA 194
NEW HAMPSHIRE 24
ARKANSAS 168
NEW JERSEY 318
CALIFORNIA 1205
NEW MEXICO 102
COLORADO 193
NEW YORK 1031
CONNECTICUT 114
NORTH CAROLINA 298
DELAWARE 29
NORTH DAKOTA 26
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 105
OHIO 621
FLORIDA 512
OKLAHOMA 234
GEORGIA 390
OREGON 139
HAWAII 40
PENNSYLVANIA 601
IDAHO 40
RHODE ISLAND 33
ILLINOIS 834
SOUTH CAROLINA 212
SOUTH DAKOTA 41
IOWA 128
TENNESSEE 272
KANSAS 199
TEXAS 788
KENTUCKY 280
UTAH 82
LOUISIANA 284
VERMONT 15
MAINE 72
VIRGINIA 292
MARYLAND 212
WASHINGTON 226
MASSACHUSETTS 246
WEST VIRGINIA 114
MICHIGAN 451
WISCONSIN 196
MINNESOTA 186
WYOMING 39
MISSISSIPPI 131
TERRITORIES 270
MISSOURI 541
FEDERAL AGENCIES 822
MONTANA 104
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