2021 Line of Duty Deaths
Joseph H . Eisenhardt , Jr ., MPA Chief of Police ( Ret .), Barrington Police Department
The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | February 2022
In a report released on January 11 , 2022 by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum in Washington DC , there were 458 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2021 in this country1 . This is a 55 % increase over 2020 , and surpasses the 312 line of duty deaths recorded in 1930 . After a record that stood for 90 years , there was a 32 % increase of law enforcement officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in 2021 vs . 1930 .
There are 458 survivor groups deeply impacted by the loss of so many officers . These are wives , husbands , children , moms , dads , brothers , sisters , other family members , neighbors , friends , fellow officers , community members , and the list goes on .
To be perfectly clear , this article has nothing to do with politics but has everything to do with honoring the service of these officers and the memory their survivors will carry in their hearts forever .
As I read this report , I realized that what was common to all of the many causes of these deaths was the fact that there are law enforcement officers out there serving and protecting their communities no matter what the circumstances . And we will continue to show up everyday facing unknown , sometimes unseen , and unending dangers as the blue line of protection between order and chaos .
For those survivor groups out there , we mourn your loss with you , we grieve with you , and we honor the memory of the hero you were forced to lay to rest way too soon .
The heaviness in my heart goes way beyond the past year . I remember attending way too many funerals over my 32 year career . One recurring thought at each funeral was that we may have lost one , but the sea of officers there made it clear that there were many more of us who would stand together to fill the gap for our communities and each other .
During my tenure as Chief , my biggest fear was that I would have to make a death notification the survivors of one of our officers . What is of critical importance to the Chief of a department who has buried an officer is to mourn , grieve , and honor the memory of the officer lost ; but also to continue to lead those surviving officers as they mourn and grieve too . Serving and protecting our communities never gets a day off , yet the Chief must make sure everyone ' s head is still in the game during this awful time .
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1https :// e . wordfly . com ? sid = MjA1Ml8xNjY2XzQxNjlyXzY3NTU & l = ec137fcb-4e72-ec11-a828- 0050569d715 & utm _ source = wordfly & utm _ medium = email & utm _ campaign = 2021 _ Fatilities _ Report _ Released & utm _ term = jan _ 11 _ 2022 & utm _ co ntent = version _ A
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