COVID-19 remains the No. 1 cause of death among police officers in the U.S., as the overall number deaths among police officers fell in 2022, according to a new study.
Seventy police officers — including one from Maryland and another from Virginia — died as a result of contracting COVID-19 while on duty last year. That’s a decline of 83% from the 405 officers who died of COVID-19-related causes in 2021, according to data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Overall, 226 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty — down 61% from the 586 officers killed in 2021. Of the 226 deaths nationwide, five were in Virginia, three were in Maryland and one was in D.C.
The organization said it largely attributed the decline to a significant drop in COVID-19 deaths among officers.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of officer wellness and safety programs because what these men and women are facing day in and day out is changing,” said Marcia Ferranto, the fund’s CEO.
It’s a health trend police departments across the country have tried to suppress since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, 64 police officers were shot and killed in the line of duty last year, “mirroring” what the fund said was the number of police officers shot and killed in 2021.
The group reported that the number of firearm-related deaths continues to rise from the average number of firearm-related deaths in the last decade.
Between 2010 and 2020 an average of 53 police officers were killed by gunfire each year in firearm-related incidents.
“Firearm fatalities have increased 21% since the prior decade,” Ferranto said. “That’s an important piece. All law enforcement affiliates around the country need to take a look at why that number has risen so high so quickly.”
Last year also saw 56 police officers killed in traffic-related incidents, down 3% from 58 in 2021. Meanwhile, deadly crashes among police officers, including single-vehicle accidents, vehicle collisions and motorcycle crashes, rose 29% in 2022. Ferranto said closer examination is necessary to address the rise and see “what we can to do help correct these numbers.”
The number of struck-by fatalities decreased, with 16 officers dying as a result of being struck while outside of their vehicle. That’s a 41% decrease from the 27 officers killed in such incidents in 2021.
The law enforcement fund said 36 officers died of what it called “other causes” in 2022, such as falling objects, fire-related incidents and medical-related illnesses or events — a 39% decline from the 59 officers who died under similar circumstances in 2021.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund does not include statistics regarding police officers who died by suicide. But data collected by the nonprofit organization Blue HELP showed 181 deaths last year.
