In 2022, 118 officers died in the line of duty, according to the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted database. Sixty of those officers were killed feloniously, primarily by firearms. However, law enforcement does not rank in the top 10 deadliest professions in the US, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The FBI collects data from US law enforcement agencies on officer assaults and deaths. The data is categorized into two types: felonious, meaning purposefully killed, and accidental. The collected information includes deaths occurring on the job but doesn’t include work-related exposures that may lead to illness or death. The data excludes COVID-19, 9/11-related illnesses, and suicides.
