More Police Officers Died On The Job In 2014 Than In 2013

A new report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that nationwide, police officers died on the job at a higher rate this year compared to last. But the rate of officer fatalities has been steadily falling since the 70s.

New York City police stand in silence as they listen to the funeral service for slain officer Rafael Ramos on December 27, 2014.

Mike Segar / Reuters

More police officers across the United States died on the job in 2014 than in 2013, according to a new report published Tuesday by the non-profit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The report found that 126 law enforcement officials died on the job this year, a 24% increase from the 102 officers who died in 2013. The increase runs counter to the historical trend in officer deaths, which have decreased almost every year since 1974, when 280 officers were killed.

Not all of the deaths counted in the report were the result of criminal activity. About half of the officers who died in 2014 were killed in "felonious incidents," with the other half dying in traffic accidents, from work-related injuries, or from other causes.

But the vast majority of this year's increase in deaths from shooting, which accounted for 50 deaths, 56% more than last year. Within gun-related incidents, ambushes were the most common circumstance, killing 15 cops — three times as many as in 2013.

Still, the number of cops killed by firearms in 2014 was lower than the average for the 2010s, which was 53. The average for the 2000s was 57, and that for the 1970s 127.

California was the top state for officer fatalities, with 14 deaths. Texas was second, with 11 deaths, and New York was third, with 9 deaths. Three of the deceased officers were women.

from BuzzFeed - USNews http://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/more-police-officers-died-on-the-job-in-2014-than-in-2013?utm_term=4ldqpia