MYFOXNY.COM STAFF REPORT
MYFOXNY.COM - The number of law enforcement officers who were killed nationwide has jumped nearly 17 percent.
Newly released statistics from the FBI show that 56 officers were murdered in the line of duty last year. That is a jump from 48 in the previous year.
15 of the officers who were killed had been ambushed. 14 officers died as they attempted to make arrests. One was killed while transporting a prisoner.
All but one of the officers was killed with a gun. The other was killed with the attacker using a vehicle as a weapon.
The South saw the greatest number of killed officers with 22 of the felonious deaths.
Accidental deaths were also much higher last year. The report says that 72 officers were killed in accidents. That is a 50 percent increase over the previous year. The majority of the deaths involved automobile accidents.
The report also says that more than 53,000 officers were assaulted in the line of duty last year. The report did not cite prior assault statistics.
Read more: http://www.myfoxny.com//dpp/news/violence-against-law-enforcement-officers-up-sharply-20111024-lgf#ixzz1bkRCDfyR
