The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s preliminary data collected for 2022 Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) has been published. Below 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 LEOKA Data Collection for 2022 through September 30. This preliminary information is provided for officer safety studies, training, and other initiatives. The data are also published annually in the LEOKA Release.
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Key Observations from LEOKA Preliminary Data
- Firearms were used in 83.7 percent of the felonious deaths in 2022, with a majority of the type of firearm used not currently reported.
- The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ deaths included activities related to ambushes on officers, investigative/enforcement activity, unprovoked attacks on officers, and response to disorderly/disturbance calls.
- The 10 ambush attacks in 2022 are a 100 percent increase compared to the 5 ambush attacks in the same time period in 2021. Conversely, unprovoked attacks in 2022 (6) decreased 66.7 percent compared to the same time period in 2021 (18).
- Accidental law enforcement deaths increased 2.4 percent when comparing the first nine months of 2022 (43) with those of 2021 (42). The accidental deaths in 2022 were due primarily to motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian officers being struck by vehicles, and airplane crashes.
- The southern region has the most law enforcement deaths in 2022, with 47 deaths total (24 felonious, 23 accidental).
- 72 officers have died in the line of duty from the following medical conditions in 2022: 51 officers from illnesses related to COVID-19, 10 officers due to heart attacks, 3 officers from conditions as a result of response to 9/11, and 8 officers due to other natural causes.
October Data from the Officers Down Memorial Page
Per the data on the Officers Down Memorial Page (ODMP), there have been 7 officers killed in the month of October alone, since September 30 when the LEOKA data ended. 4 of them were killed in a 3 day span, between October 11 and 13.
