NLEOMF report shows 39% decrease in LODDs in 2023

By Joanna Putman
Police1

WASHINGTON — In 2023, there was a 39% drop in officer line of duty deaths, according to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

There were 136 line of duty fatalities in 2023, down from 224 in 2022. The decrease is represented in every category of line of duty death, including COVID-19 related deaths, according to the report.

According to the report, 47 officers were shot and killed in the line of duty, a 25% drop compared with 63 officers in 2022. Of the 47 firearms fatalities, nine were attempting to make an arrest, seven were handling domestic disputes, six were investigating suspicious circumstances or persons, five were ambushed, five were killed making or attempting to make traffic stops, five were killed responding to a robbery or burglary call and two were killed handling disturbance calls, according to the report.

There was also a decrease in traffic-related incidents. Data shows 37 officers were killed, down from 51 deaths in 2022. Of those deaths, 23 were caused by vehicle crashes, five by motorcycle crashes and 10 by cars striking officers, according to the report. Four of the 10 struck-by-car deaths occurred while deploying spike strips.

Fifty-two line of duty deaths were categorized as “other,” including deaths caused by heart attacks, strokes and lingering health effects from the September 11 attacks, according to the report. Five officers died from COVID-19 in 2023, down from 74 in 2022.

New York, Texas and Louisiana suffered the most officer fatalities in 2023, with 13, 11 and eight line of duty deaths, respectively. No officers were killed in Alaska, Arizona, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Rhode Island or Maine, according to the report.

The shortest tour of duty length among officers killed in 2023 was five days, and the longest was 45 years. The youngest officer killed in the line of duty was 19, and the oldest was 79.

“Since 1786, more than 23,000 law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial ensures that those who gave their lives to protect and serve their communities are remembered for generations to come, while providing a place where survivors can spend a quiet moment paying tribute to their loved ones,” the report stated.