In the first four months of 2023, 135 police officers have been shot in the line of duty, with 15 of those officers killed in the shootings, according to the National Fraternal Order of Police.
Ambush attacks on law enforcement also continue to be an urgent concern, and there have been 38 ambush-style attacks on police, the FOP's monthly report states. In those attacks, 43 officers were shot, and of those, six were killed.
"The number of ambush-style attacks listed does not include the countless incidents where an officer was shot at but not struck by gunfire during an ambush-style attack," the report states.
Shootings and ambush attacks have seen increases compared to the same timeframes of previous years. In the first four months of 2022, 123 officers were shot—with 19 of those officers slain—and in 25 ambush-style attacks, 39 officers were shot—with six of those officers killed.
Shootings in this timeframe also were up compared to other years:
- 2021 year-to-date: up 48%
- 2020 year-to-date: up 52%
According to the FOP's report, California and Pennsylvania had the most officers shot in this timeframe, with 11 officers shot in each state. Missouri had 9 officers shot, while Florida had eight. Two states had seven officers shot, and five states had six officers.
Go to the Fraternal Order of Police's website to read the full report.
