Federal Officers
Killed and Assaulted
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This page furnishes information regarding federal law enforcement officers who were killed or assaulted in the line of duty in 2006 and who met the appropriate criteria. Please note that beginning in 2006, the weapon type “threat” is no longer a weapon category. In order for a threat to be included in these data, a weapon must have been present when the threat was made. These types of assaults are reported under the particular weapon with which the offender threatened the victim.
Overview
- 1,273 federal law enforcement officers were assaulted; 212 of these officers were injured.
By department:
- The U.S. Capitol Police employed 5 of the officers who were assaulted; none of the officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security employed 866 of the federal officers who were assaulted, and 118 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of the Interior employed 257 of the officers who were assaulted, and 62 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of Justice employed 137 of the officers who were assaulted, and 28 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury employed 2 of the officers who were assaulted, and none of the officers were injured.
- The U.S. Postal Inspection Service employed 6 of the officers who were assaulted, and 4 of these officers were injured.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 72 and 73.
See also Summaries of Assaults by Department.
Weapons
- 484 federal officers were attacked with personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet; 130 of these assaults resulted in injury to a federal officer.
- 109 officers were accosted with firearms; 7 of these officers were injured.
- 96 officers were attacked with vehicles; 26 of these officers were injured.
- 17 officers were attacked with blunt instruments; 6 of these officers were injured.
- 4 officers were accosted with knives or other cutting instruments; 2 of these officers were injured.
- 563 officers were assaulted with various other types of weapons; 41 of these officers were injured.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of weapons used to attack federal officers) is provided in Table 74.
Type of activity
- 655 of the 1,273 federal officers assaulted in 2006 were on patrol or guard duty when they were assaulted.
- 289 officers were assaulted while attempting arrests or trying to serve summonses.
- 84 officers were assaulted while conducting investigations or searches.
- 28 officers were assaulted while maintaining the custody of prisoners.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of activities in which federal officers were attacked) is provided in Table 78.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the 1,273 federal law enforcement officers who were assaulted in 2006:
- 663 officers were stationed in the West.
- 435 officers were stationed in the South.
- 115 officers were stationed in the Midwest.
- 30 officers were stationed in the Northeast.
- 30 officers were stationed in Puerto Rico.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown by state) is provided in Table 76.
Profile of alleged known assailants
- 307 alleged assailants were identified in connection with the 1,273 assaults on federal officers.
- Disposition information was not reported for 57 known assailants.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 72 and 79.
Five-year totals
From 2002 through 2006, 4,647 federal officers were assaulted; 2 of these officers were killed.
- 1 of the officers, slain in 2002, was a ranger with the Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
- 1 officer with the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was killed in 2005.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 74 and 75.
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