For America’s law enforcement, the threat of being injured or killed while on the job is all too real, with hundreds of officers being shot each year.
A new report from the National Fraternal Order of Police has revealed that as of July 31, 210 officers have been shot in the line of duty, with thirty-nine such attacks resulting in death.
According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, 2022 numbers are up 14 percent from last year, and 12 percent from 2020.
Of the shootings that have taken place so far this year, forty-six were reported to be “ambush-style,” meaning they were “carried out with an element of surprise and intended to deprive officers of their ability to defend against the attack.”
Not included in the total are incidents wherein officers are shot at, but not struck.
According to the report, Texas saw the highest number of law enforcement officers shot while on duty at nineteen, with Arizona not far behind at eighteen.
Fourteen states, including Colorado, Hawaii, Nebraska, New Jersey and New Hampshire, reported no such incidents.
The National Fraternal Order of Police began collecting data on officer shootings in 2019.
“Every felonious attack on a law enforcement officer, especially by gunfire, is disturbing regardless of the circumstances,” the organization said. “Officers are always susceptible to life-threatening attacks and therefore must always be vigilant and maintain the highest level of situational awareness.”
They explained in the report that there has been a growing animosity towards law enforcement in recent years, which, along with other factors, could cause them to become targets of violence.
