Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted
2006 Statistics
10/29/07
FBI Press Release 10/29/07
The FBI just released—and posted on their website—the latest set of annual crime statistics. In this case, the numbers are quite specific: they're all about law enforcement officers killed and assaulted during 2006.
The big picture: last year, a total of 48 law enforcement officers nationwide—including at local, state, tribal, and federal levels—were "feloniously killed" (through a serious crime) in the line of duty. Another 66 officers died in accidents, and 58,634 were assaulted on duty.
The full report has all the precise details, including:
* In-depth summaries of the officers killed;
* The types of weapons used in those murders;
* Breakdowns by state and region for officers killed feloniously and accidentally over the past decade;
* Specifics on federal officers killed and assaulted.
For us, the numbers are quite personal: every "statistic" is a partner and a friend and sometimes one of our own employees. But if any good news can be found in the report, it is this: the 48 slain officers is the second lowest total in the past decade. The total of accidental deaths was also at its third lowest level since 1997.
Those are trends we like to see. The data, after all, have one overriding purpose: to prevent injuries and save lives. We hope the information will be carefully studied—as it has been for the past 35 years—for insights that can continue to improve the safety of all those in law enforcement who protect and serve our country.
On a related note: the annual report on hate crimes is due out on November 19.
----------------------------------------------------------
Officers Feloniously Killed
This page provides information about duly sworn city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2006 and met certain other criteria.
Overview
In 2006, 48 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed as a result of 47 separate incidents.
22 of the 48 officers feloniously killed were employed by city police departments. Of these victims, 8 were members of law enforcement agencies in cities of 250,000 or more in population.
Line-of-duty deaths occurred in 25 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The state that had the most felonious deaths of officers was California, where 6 officers died in 2006. (Based on Table 1.)
In the 10-year span of 1997 through 2006, 562 officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty.
More information about these topics (including annual totals from 1997 to 2006) is provided in Tables 1, 2, 15, 16, and 28.
Victim Profile
38 years old—the average age of the officers who died from felonious attacks.
11 years—the slain officers' average length of law enforcement service.
45 of the officers killed were male.
38 of the victim officers were white; 5 were black; 1 was Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1 was an American Indian/Alaskan Native. The race of 3 officers was not reported.
More information about these topics is provided in Tables 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
Circumstances
12 officers died in 2006 as a result of felonious attacks during arrest situations.
10 officers were fatally assaulted when ambushed.
8 officers were killed when responding to disturbance calls (e.g., bar fights, family quarrels), and 8 officers were killed while conducting traffic pursuits or stops.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of circumstances in which officers were feloniously killed) is provided in Tables 19, 21, 22, 23, and 31.
Assignments
27 of the victim officers who died in the line of duty in 2006 were on assigned vehicle patrol.
3 of the officers fatally attacked were off duty but acting in an official capacity.
18 of the slain officers were assigned to other duties (e.g., special assignments, undercover) at the time of the incidents.
27 of the officers killed were assisted at the time of the attack.
More about this topic is provided in Tables 15, 17, 23, 24, 25, and 26.
Weapons
46 of the 48 officers who died from felonious attacks in 2006 were murdered with firearms. Of these, 36 were slain with handguns. (A breakdown of the types of firearms used in these slayings is provided in Table 27.)
2 officers were killed with vehicles that were used as weapons. 11 officers fired their own weapons during the incidents that led to their deaths; an additional 7 officers attempted to use their own weapons.
32 incidents involving firearms occurred when the distance between the offender and the victim was 10 feet or less. Of these, 24 officers were 5 feet or less from their attackers when shot.
More information about these topics is provided in Tables 12, 27, 28, 29, 31, 33, and 34.
Body armor
26 of the 46 officers killed with firearms were wearing body armor when they were fatally wounded.
Of the 26 officers who were wearing body armor (based on Table 36): 15 officers suffered fatal gunshot wounds to the head.
7 officers were mortally wounded after receiving shots to the torso. (A breakdown of where bullets circumvented or penetrated body armor is provided in Table 38.) 4 officers succumbed to gunshot wounds to the neck/throat.
More information about this topic (including annual totals from 1997 through 2006) is provided in Tables 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the 48 officers who died in 2006 as a result of felonious attacks:
22 officers were employed in the South.
11 officers were employed in the West.
7 officers were employed in the Northeast.
6 officers were employed in the Midwest.
2 officers were employed in Puerto Rico.
More information about this topic (including annual totals from 1997 to 2006) is provided in Tables 1, 21, 22, 29, and 30.
Months, days, and times of incidents
More officers (7) died in August from felonious attacks than in any other month of 2006. During February, May, and October, 6 officers were feloniously killed in each month.
In 2006, three days of the week (Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday) had the highest number of incidents that resulted in the deaths of officers with 11 occurring on each day (a total of 33).
The fewest number of officers (2) died from felonious assaults that occurred on Sunday.
More officers (7) were fatally injured in assaults that happened from 10:01 p.m. to midnight than during any other 2-hour time period. More information about these topics (including annual totals from 1997 to 2006) is provided in Tables 3, 4, 5, 17, and 18.
Profile of alleged known assailants
In 2006, 55 alleged offenders were identified. Of those offenders, the following characteristics are known:
29 years old—the average age of the alleged offenders.
5 feet 10 inches/176 pounds—the average height and weight of the alleged offenders.
54 of the alleged assailants were male.
29 of the alleged offenders were black; 25 were white.
Of the alleged assailants identified, 42 had previous criminal arrests, including 11 who had been arrested for assaulting an officer or resisting arrest.
15 of the 55 alleged offenders were under judicial supervision (e.g., probation, parole) at the time of the fatal incident.
----------------------------------------------------------
Officers Accidentally Killed
This page provides information regarding accidental line-of-duty deaths of duly sworn city, university and college, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers, who met the same criteria as officers feloniously killed.
Overview
66 law enforcement officers died as the result of accidents that occurred in the line of duty.
61 law enforcement agencies in 29 states and Puerto Rico reported that officers from their jurisdictions died as the result of accidents.
Most of the officers (24) accidentally killed in 2006 were employed by city police departments.
More information about these topics (including annual totals from 1997 to 2006) is provided in Tables 46, 47, 57, and 62.
Victim Profile
36 years old—the average age of officers accidentally killed in 2006.
10 years—the average length of law enforcement service.
64 of the officers accidentally killed were male.
59 of the officers accidentally killed were white, 4 were black, and 3 were Asian/Pacific Islander.
More information about these topics is provided in Tables 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56.
Circumstances
38 officers died in 2006 as a result of automobile accidents.
13 officers were struck and killed by vehicles; 9 of these victim officers were directing traffic/assisting motorists, etc., and 4 were performing traffic stops, instituting roadblocks, etc.
8 officers died of injuries sustained in motorcycle accidents.
4 officers died as a result of accidental shootings (crossfires, training sessions, cleaning mishaps, etc.)
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of circumstances in which officers accidentally died) is provided in Tables 59, 60, 61, and 62.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the 66 officers who were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2006:
26 officers were employed by law enforcement agencies in the South.
20 officers were employed by agencies in the West.
14 officers were employed by agencies in the Midwest.
5 officers were employed by agencies in the Northeast.
1 officer was employed by an agency in Puerto Rico.
More information about this topic (including annual totals from 1997 to 2006) is provided in Table 46.
Months, days, and times of incidents
Month
In 2006, the greatest number of deaths resulting from accidents (8 in each month) occurred in the months of August and November. The fewest officer deaths (3) resulting from accidents occurred in June.
Day
More officers (14) were involved in fatal accidents that occurred on Friday than on any other day of the week.
The fewest accidents resulting in officer fatalities (4) occurred on Monday.
Time
More officers (40) were fatally injured in accidents that occurred between the hours of 12:01 p.m. and midnight .
26 officers lost their lives from accidents that happened between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and noon.
---------------------------------------------------------
Officers Assaulted
This page provides information about duly sworn city, university and college, county, state, and tribal law enforcement officers who were assaulted in the line of duty in 2006 and met certain other criteria.
Overview
The FBI collected assault data from 10,346 law enforcement agencies that provided service to nearly 223 million persons (74.4 percent of the Nation's population). (Based on Table 63.)
The participating law enforcement agencies that reported assault data to the FBI employed 495,270 sworn officers. Of these, 58,634 were assaulted while performing their duties.
The rate of assaults was 11.8 per 100 sworn officers. There were 15,704 assaults on officers that resulted in injuries.
More information about these topics (including breakdowns of assaults on officers by region and population group) is included in Tables 63, 64, 66, 69, and 70.
Injuries
26.8 percent of the 58,634 officers assaulted suffered injuries.
28.5 percent of the officers who were attacked with personal weapons (e.g., hands, fists, or feet) sustained injuries.
13.5 percent of the officers who were attacked with knives or other cutting instruments suffered injuries.
10.2 percent of the officers who were attacked with firearms were injured.
23.5 percent of the officers who were attacked with other types of dangerous weapons experienced injuries.
More information about this topic is included in Tables 63, 64, and 68.
Times
For the eighth year in a row, the largest percentage of assaults of officers (14.8 percent) occurred from 12:01 a.m.-2 a.m.
In 2006, the smallest percentage of assaults of officers (2.6 percent) was from 6:01 a.m.-8 a.m.
More information about this topic is provided in Table 65.
Circumstances
The largest percentage (30.9) of officers assaulted were responding to disturbance calls (family quarrels, bar fights, etc.).
12.2 percent of the officers assaulted were handling, transporting, or maintaining custody of prisoners.
11.1 percent of the officers assaulted were performing traffic stops or pursuits.
(Based on Tables 66, 67, and 71.)
Clearances
Law enforcement agencies cleared 90.7 percent of the 58,634 assaults by arrests or exceptional means (i.e., when law enforcement could identify the perpetrator, but were unable to make an arrest due to circumstances beyond their control, such as the death or suicide of the subject).
By type of circumstance, agencies cleared the greatest percentage (92.1) of assaults against officers who were responding to disturbance calls.
More information about this topic is provided in Table 66.
Assignments
In 2006, 63.0 percent of the victim officers who were assaulted were assigned to 1-officer vehicle patrols.
16.7 percent of the victim officers were assigned to 2-officer vehicle patrols.
4.9 percent of the victim officers were performing detective or special assignment roles.
15.4 percent of the victim officers were performing other types of duties.
(Based on Table 67.)
Weapons
The majority of officers assaulted (79.8 percent) were attacked with personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet.
3.9 percent of the officers were assaulted with firearms.
1.8 percent of the officers were assaulted with knives or other cutting instruments.
14.5 percent of the officers assaulted were attacked with other types of dangerous weapons.
----------------------------------------------------------
Federal Officers Killed and Assaulted
This page furnishes information regarding federal law enforcement officers who were killed or assaulted in the line of duty in 2006 and who met the appropriate criteria. Please note that beginning in 2006, the weapon type "threat" is no longer a weapon category. In order for a threat to be included in these data, a weapon must have been present when the threat was made. These types of assaults are reported under the particular weapon with which the offender threatened the victim.
Overview 1,273 federal law enforcement officers were assaulted; 212 of these officers were injured.
By department: The U.S. Capitol Police employed 5 of the officers who were assaulted; none of the officers were injured.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security employed 866 of the federal officers who were assaulted, and 118 of these officers were injured.
The U.S. Department of the Interior employed 257 of the officers who were assaulted, and 62 of these officers were injured.
The U.S. Department of Justice employed 137 of the officers who were assaulted, and 28 of these officers were injured.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury employed 2 of the officers who were assaulted, and none of the officers were injured.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service employed 6 of the officers who were assaulted, and 4 of these officers were injured.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 72 and 73.
See also Summaries of Assaults by Department.
Weapons
484 federal officers were attacked with personal weapons such as hands, fists, or feet; 130 of these assaults resulted in injury to a federal officer.
109 officers were accosted with firearms; 7 of these officers were injured.
96 officers were attacked with vehicles; 26 of these officers were injured
17 officers were attacked with blunt instruments; 6 of these officers were injured.
4 officers were accosted with knives or other cutting instruments; 2 of these officers were injured.
563 officers were assaulted with various other types of weapons; 41 of these officers were injured.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of weapons used to attack federal officers) is provided in Table 74.
Type of activity
655 of the 1,273 federal officers assaulted in 2006 were on patrol or guard duty when they were assaulted.
289 officers were assaulted while attempting arrests or trying to serve summonses.
84 officers were assaulted while conducting investigations or searches.
28 officers were assaulted while maintaining the custody of prisoners.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown of the types of activities in which federal officers were attacked) is provided in Table 78.
Regional and outlying area breakdowns
Of the 1,273 federal law enforcement officers who were assaulted in 2006:
663 officers were stationed in the West.
435 officers were stationed in the South.
115 officers were stationed in the Midwest.
30 officers were stationed in the Northeast.
30 officers were stationed in Puerto Rico.
More information about this topic (including a complete breakdown by state) is provided in Table 76.
Profile of alleged known assailants
307 alleged assailants were identified in connection with the 1,273 assaults on federal officers.
Disposition information was not reported for 57 known assailants.
More information about this topic is provided in Tables 72 and 79.
Five-year totals
From 2002 through 2006, 4,647 federal officers were assaulted; 2 of these officers were killed.
1 of the officers, slain in 2002, was a ranger with the Department of the Interior, National Park Service.
1 officer with the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was killed in 2005.