The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty rose slightly in 2015, according to preliminary data released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
View the 2015 Law Enforcement Fatalities Report
The 124 officer fatalities recorded in 2015 represent a four percent increase from the 119 officers who died in the line of duty in 2014. Of the officers who died, 52 were killed in traffic-related incidents, 42 were killed by gunfire and 30 died as a result of other causes.
"Each year as we issue this fatality report, we are reminded of the vital service and supreme sacrifice given by our nation's law enforcement officers," NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd said in a statement. "There has been a lot of criticism and second-guessing directed at law enforcement this past year, but we must never forget that 124 officers gave up their lives for our safety and protection. Another 900,000 officers put their lives on the line every day. We owe all of those men and women a huge debt of gratitude."
The number of officers killed by firearms was 14 percent lower than the 49 who died as a result of gunfire in 2014. Traffic stops resulted in seven of those shooting deaths, more than any other category of felonious fatalities in 2015. Hattiesburg, Mississippi police officers Benjamin Deen and Liquori Tate of the Hattiesburg were gunned down in a traffic stop they conducted on May 9.
Ambush attacks against law enforcement officers were the second leading cause of shooting deaths in 2015, accounting for six fatalities. On Aug. 28, Harris County, Texas Sheriff's Deputy Darren Goforth was shot 15 times in an unprovoked attack after filling his marked cruiser up at a local gas station.
The number of officers killed in traffic-related incidents was six percent higher than the 49 who died on roadways in 2014. Traffic-related incidents have been the leading cause of officer deaths in 15 of the last 20 years.
Of the officers who died of other causes, 24 suffered from job-related illnesses -- predominantly heart attacks -- while on duty. Also included among those 24 are four officers who died of illnesses they contracted as a result of their rescue and recovery work following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The statistics released are based on preliminary data compiled by the NLEOMF and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2016.
