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 2007 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
- In 2007, there were 1,650 federal law enforcement officers assaulted, and 257 of
these officers were injured.
By department:
- The U.S. Capitol Police employed 4 of the officers who were assaulted, and 1 of
these officers was injured.
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security employed 1,304 of the federal
officers who were assaulted, and 165 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of the Interior employed 247 of the officers who were
assaulted, and 62 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of Justice employed 85 of the officers who were assaulted,
and 25 of these officers were injured.
- The U.S. Department of the Treasury employed 2 of the officers who were
assaulted, and 1 of these officers was injured.
- The U.S. Postal Inspection Service employed 8 of the officers who were assaulted,
and 3 of these officers were injured.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 74 and 75.
See also Summary of Assaults by Department.
Weapons
- 553 federal officers were attacked with personal weapons such as hands, fists, or
feet, and 191 of these assaults resulted in injuries to the officers.
- 131 federal officers were assaulted with vehicles, and 21 of these officers suffered
injuries.
- 71 officers were assaulted with firearms resulting in 3 officers injured.
- 17 officers were assaulted with knives or other cutting instruments resulting in
5 officers injured.
- 14 officers were attacked with blunt instruments resulting in 3 officers injured.
- 864 officers were assaulted with various other types of weapons resulting in 34 officers injured.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of
weapons used to attack federal officers) is provided in Tables 76, 77, 78, and 79.
Type of activity
- 967 of the 1,650 federal officers assaulted in 2007 were on patrol or guard duty
when they were assaulted.
- 237 officers were assaulted while attempting arrests or trying to serve
summonses.
- 78 officers were attacked while conducting investigations or searches.
- 29 officers were assaulted while maintaining 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 80.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the 1,650 federal law enforcement officers who were assaulted in 2007:
- 1,125 officers were stationed in the West.
- 394 officers were stationed in the South.
- 71 officers were stationed in the Midwest.
- 57 officers were stationed in the Northeast.
- 2 officers were stationed in Puerto Rico.
- 1 officer was stationed in Italy.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown by state) is
provided in Table 78.
Dispositional information
- 373 alleged assailants were identified in connection with the 1,650 assaults on
federal officers.
- Of the 373 offenders, dispositional information was reported for 334 of them.
- Of the 334 offenders for whom dispositions were provided, 153 were found guilty.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 74 and 81.
Five-year totals
- From 2003 through 2007, there were 5,923 federal officers assaulted, 1 of whom
was killed.
- The officer who was slain in the 5-year time frame was employed with the
Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. He was killed in the line of duty in 2005.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 76 and 77.