News / Military

Felony cop killings up 61% in 2016: FBI report

Wednesday, 18 October 2017 3:20 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 18 October 2017 3:22 AM ]

New York Police Department (NYPD) officers stand alert near the statue of Christopher Columbus at the Columbus Circle in New York on October 9, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has revealed that the number of US police officers feloniously killed on the job in 2016 is up 61 percent year-on-year.

The law enforcement agency said a total of 118 police officers lost their lives in line of duty last year, 52 were accidental deaths and 66 were felony homicides – 62 of which were a result of gunshot wounds.

The latest report is the second highest number of felony killings of police officers since 2011, when 72 security forces died.

"Every law enforcement officer goes to work knowing that today might be his or her last,” US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “But last year, we saw a staggering 61 percent increase in the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty because of a felony, and on average, more than 150 officers were assaulted in the line of duty every single day. These numbers are as shocking as they are unacceptable."

“Moreover, 57,180 officers were victims of line-of-duty assaults – this is a 14 percent rise from the 50,212 officer that were victims of line-of-duty assaults in 2015,” Sessions added, citing statistics published in the report.

The FBI report noted that the average age of the officers killed feloniously was 40 years old, with an average of 13 years experience in law enforcement. It further added that the cops who died in accidents averaged 11 years of experience with a mean age of 38.

Gun violence is the third-leading cause of accidental death in the US, behind drug overdoses and automobile crashes.

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