The NJ Police Chief Magazine - Volume 29, Number 9 | Page 13

LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER DEATHS
01 / 01 / 2023 – 05 / 31 / 2023
This is a graphic presentation of data regarding line-of-duty deaths , both felonious and accidental , collected from law enforcement agencies across the United States and U . S . territories by
the FBI ’ s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Data Collection . This preliminary information is provided for officer safety studies , training , and other initiatives . The data are also
published annually in the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted release . The below data is accurate as of 05 / 31 / 2023 .
Key Observations
Officer Deaths by Month
The 24 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the first five months of 2023 represent a 20 percent increase compared to the 20 officers killed during the same period in 2022 . Firearms were used in 21 of the 24 felonious deaths in
2023 , while 2 deaths involved the use of vehicles as weapons and 1 death involved the use of personal weapons ( hands ,
Felonious
2022
2023
Accidental
2022
2023
fists , etc .). The leading circumstances surrounding officers ’ deaths included activities related to investigative / enforcement
( 7 ), pursuits ( 5 ), and crimes in progress ( 4 ). To date , there have been no occurrences of multiple officers feloniously killed during a single incident or due to a single offender ’ s actions in 2023 . Accidental law enforcement deaths decreased by 57.7
Jan
Feb
3
4
3
5
10
4
0
3
percent when comparing the first five months of 2023 ( 11 ) with those of 2022 ( 26 ). The accidental deaths in 2023 were
Mar
9
4
6
5
due to motor vehicle accidents ( 7 ), airplane crashes ( 2 ), a drowning ( 1 ), and a fall ( 1 ). The southern region has the most law enforcement deaths in 2023 with 14 deaths in total ( 7 felonious , 7 accidental ). Although not represented in the below graphic , 10 officers died from the following medical conditions in 2023 : 2 officers died from conditions related to 9 / 11 , 2
Apr
May
2
2
6
6
1
5
0
3
officers died from cancer , 1 officer died from illnesses related to COVID-19 , and 5 officers died due to other natural causes .
Officer Deaths by Year
Jun 12 4 Jul 6 9 Aug 6 3 Sep 5 1 Oct 5 5 Nov 1 3 Dec 6 6
Time of Incident
Officer Deaths by Region
MIDWEST Felonious : 9 Accidental : 2
WEST Felonious : 3 Accidental : 2
Circumstances of Officer Deaths 24 Felonious 0 Administrative assignment 0 Ambush ( entrapment / premeditation ) 1 Arrest situation 0 Assisting another law enforcement officer 0 Assisting motorist 0 Citizen complaint 4 Crime in progress ( robbery , burglary , etc .) 1 Disorder / disturbance ( domestic disturbance , civil disorder , etc .) 1 Encounter / assist an emotionally disturbed person
7 Investigative / enforcement ( Drug-related matter , wanted person , traffic violation stop ) 0 Out of service ( court , dining , etc .) 0 Providing / deploying equipment ( flares , traffic cones , etc .) 5 Pursuit 0 Report of crime ( robbery , burglary , etc .) 0 Respond to alarm ( audible / silent ) 1 Serving / attempting to serve court order
( eviction notice , subpoena , etc .) 2 Tactical situation 1 Traffic control ( crash scene , directing traffic , etc .) 1 Unprovoked attack 0 Other
Weapons Used by Offender 24 Felonious Killings 21 Officers killed with firearms 6 Handguns 1 Rifles 0 Shotguns 14 Not reported 0 Unknown 2 Vehicles 0 Knives / cutting instruments 1 Personal weapons ( hands , fists , etc .) 0 Blunt instrument ( club , brick , etc .)
SOUTH Felonious : 7 Accidental : 7
Distance from Firearm
Felonious Killings
0 - 5 ft
0
6 - 10 ft
3
11 - 20 ft
0
21 - 50 ft
1
51 + ft
0
Not reported
16
Unknown
1
NORTHEAST Felonious : 5 Accidental : 0
PUERTO RICO and Outlying Territories Felonious : 0 Accidental : 0
11 Accidental
7 Motor vehicle crash 0 Assisting / investigating vehicle crash 0 Assisting motorist 0 Engaging in vehicle pursuit 1 Escorting dignitary or funeral 0 Overseeing work zone 3 Patrolling 0 Performing traffic control 0 Performing traffic stop 2 Responding to emergency 0 Responding to nonemergency 0 Training 1 Other
0 Pedestrian officer struck by vehicle 0 Assisting / investigating vehicle crash 0 Assisting motorist 0 Providing / deploying equipment 0 Engaging in foot pursuit 0 Overseeing work zone 0 Patrolling 0 Performing traffic control 0 Performing traffic stop 0 Training 0 Other 1 Drowning 1 Fall 0 Firearm-related incident 2 Aircraft crash
Clearances of Incidents Felonious Killings
Location of Fatal Firearm Wound
Felonious Killing
2
Front head
0
Rear head
1
Side head
0
Neck / throat
0
Shoulder ( upper torso ) area
0
Front upper torso / chest
0
Rear upper torso / back
1
Front lower torso / abdomen
0
Rear lower torso / back
1
Front below waist / groin area
0
Rear below waist / buttocks
0
Arms / hands
0
Front legs / feet
0
Front legs
0
Rear legs
0
Feet
0
Multiple locations , unable to determine fatal wound
16
Fatal wound location not reported
20 Cleared 4 Uncleared
Felonious

83.3 %

This updated infographic is now available on the Crime Data Explorer ( CDE ) at https 11
:// cde . ucr . cjis . gov / LATEST / webapp /#/ pages / le / leoka .
Accidental

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6 Officers Confirmed Wearing Body Armor
3
1
1
Incidents and Victims Felonious Killings
24 Incidents 24 Victims