Number of police officers killed in line of duty hits level not seen in 80 years
The number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty fell sharply in 2025, reaching levels not seen since World War II, new data shows.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund report released on Tuesday shows total line-of-duty deaths dropped from 148 in 2024 to 111 last year, with drops in every fatality category.
Annual officer fatalities have not reached levels this low since 1943, when 94 officers were killed in the line of duty.
Firearm-related fatalities fell 15%, from 52 in 2024 to 44 in 2025, the lowest total in at least a decade, according to the Fund’s records.
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“I always like to see that firearms deaths are down. They are the tip of the spear for egregious acts,” Bill Alexander, the Fund’s chief executive officer, told The Associated Press. “Even one officer fatality is too many, and our ultimate goal is to have none. But we’re heartened by any decrease in those numbers.”
Traffic-related deaths fell nearly 23% year over year, according to the data.
Alexander attributed the decline in fatalities from crashes and officers getting struck by vehicles during traffic stops to the growing attention to roadside safety. He said that the spread of “move-over” laws, and changes in policing tactics, such as encouraging officers to approach vehicles from the passenger side, have helped.
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Fewer fatalities do not necessarily mean fewer officer shootings, he said.
The National Fraternal Order of Police tracks on-duty officer shootings, both fatal and nonfatal, though the data does not include incidents in which officers were fired upon but not hit.
Its 2025 report, released this week, showed a slight increase in officers shot on duty last year, rising from 342 in 2024 to 347 in 2025.
Deaths in the report’s “other” category, which includes medical emergencies, stabbings, drownings, and aviation accidents, fell 37%, from 52 to 33. That total includes 14 officers who died from illnesses linked to their response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The report also excludes suicides, though Alexander said the organization is continuing discussions about how to recognize and honor those officers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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