LAW ENFORCEMENT FACTS

Key Data about the Profession

• There are more than 900,000sworn law enforcement officers now serving in the United States, which is the highest figure ever. About 12 percent of those are female.

• According to the preliminary FBI’s Uniform Crime Report from January to June 2016-2017, an estimated 442,824 Violent Crimes occurred nationwide, a decrease of 0.8%.

• Crime fighting has taken its toll. Since the first recorded police death in 1791, there have been over 21,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Currently, there are 21,541 names engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

• A total of 1,511 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 58 hours or 151 per year. There were 129 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2017.

• There have been 58,627 assaults against law enforcement officers in 2016, resulting in 16,677 injuries.

• The 1920s were the deadliest decade in law enforcement history, when a total of 2,480 officers died, or an average of almost 248 each year. The deadliest year in law enforcement history was 1930, when 310 officers were killed. That figure dropped dramatically in the 1990s, to an average of 162 per year.

• The deadliest day in law enforcement history was September 11, 2001, when 72officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America.

• New York City has lost more officers in the line of duty than any other department, with 833 deaths. Texas has lost 1,731 officers, more than any other state. The state with the fewest deaths is Vermont, with 23.

• There are 1,135 federal officers listed on the Memorial, as well as 707 correctional officers and 41 military law enforcement officers.

• There are 328 female officers listed on the Memorial; nine female officers were killed in 2017.

• During the past ten years, more incidents that resulted in felonious fatalities occurred on Friday than any other day of the week. The fewest number of felonious incidents occurred on Tuesday.

Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and making it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 21,541 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now building the new National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement by providing visitors a “walk in the shoes” experience. The Museum is working to expand and enrich the relationship shared by law enforcement and the community through the Museum’s educational journeys, immersive exhibitions, and insightful programs. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org.