By Suzie Ziegler
WASHINGTON — Five months into 2021 and 37 police officers have been “feloniously killed” in the line of duty, said FBI Director Christopher Wray during a House hearing last week. That’s a big jump when compared to the 46 officers violently killed in all of 2020, according to NBC News.
“And that’s not counting all those officers who’ve died in the line of duty facing the countless other inherent dangers of the job, like from a car accident in pursuit after a subject or drowning during an attempted rescue,” said Wray. “Or even the scores of officers who’ve died from COVID-19. Because, of course, law enforcement kept coming to work every day despite the pandemic.”
Line-of-duty deaths in general are up this year too, from 134 to 148, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Traffic deaths in particular have risen 42%, according to the data.