For Immediate Release
May
15, 2001
|
Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
|
The
FBI Releases Preliminary Statistics for the Publication
Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2000
Nationwide, 51
law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the
line of duty in 2000, according to preliminary statistics
released today by the FBI. This number is an increase of
9 from the 1999 total of 42.
In 2000, firearms
were again the weapon most often used in the slaying of
officers with 33 officers slain with handguns, 10 with rifles,
and 4 with shotguns. Two officers were slain with their
own weapons. Additionally, 3 officers were killed by vehicles,
and 1 officer was killed with a knife. Thirty officers were
wearing body armor at the time of their deaths.
By region, 32
officers were feloniously killed in the South, 13 in the
Midwest,
4 in the West, and 2 in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
No officers were feloniously killed in the Northeast.
Twelve officers
lost their lives in arrest situations: 6 were serving arrest
warrants, 3 were investigating drug-related situations,
2 were trying to prevent robberies or apprehend robbery
suspects, and 1 was attempting to prevent a burglary or
apprehend a burglary suspect. Another 13 officers were murdered
while enforcing traffic laws, 10 while encountering ambush
situations, 8 while answering disturbance calls, 6 while
investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, and 2
while handling prisoners.
The 51 officers
were slain in 50 separate incidents in 2000. Forty-eight
of these incidents were cleared by arrest or exceptional
means. Two suspects remain at large.
In addition,
preliminary statistics indicate 83 officers were accidentally
killed in the performance of their duties in 2000an
increase of 18 compared to the 65 accidental deaths in 1999.
Final statistics
and complete details will be released in the Uniform Crime
Reporting Program's publication Law Enforcement Officers
Killed and Assaulted, 2000 expected to be distributed in
the fall of this year.
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