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KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY
FBI Reports 55 Police Deaths in ‘05

10/30/06

They all died heroes: 55 peace officers killed in the line of duty by criminals in 2005. Some of them died with their guns drawn. Others died shielding victims or stricken comrades. Some were ambushed. All will be missed.

The newly released Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 2005—available only online—details the full range of statistics, including assaults and accidental deaths.

Its purpose? To provide highly specific information—everything from who was killed and attacked, when, and under what circumstances—that forms the basis of strategies and training initiatives that will improve the safety of the entire law enforcement community.

Overall, the numbers this year fell from 2004: the number of officers killed by criminals dipped from 57 to 55; the number assaulted dropped by more than 1,800 (to 57,546, the lowest total since 2001); and the number killed accidentally decreased from 82 to 67 (the lowest total in six years).

What else the report can tell you:

• How many officers were killed with firearms (including the kind of weapon and whether it was the officer’s own weapon);
• How many of the assailants had arrest records;
• The details of each of the 53 incidents that led to the slaying of a peace officer listed alphabetically by state;
• The number of accidental deaths by state and region over the past decade and how and when officers were assaulted;
• How many of the officers killed accidentally died in automobile accidents;
• How many of the assaults led to injuries; and
• What time of day most assaults happened.

As usual, you can find the information broken down by your state and region. And once again, we in the FBI salute the courage and sacrifice of our partners in law enforcement who were killed or attacked while serving our nation.

Resources: Criminal Justice Information Services division | National press release