2006 LEOKA Report Released

Officers Killed and Assaulted
2006 Statistics Now Online

10/29/07

We’ve just released—and posted on this website—our 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.

The following tables show the types of circumstances involved in the deaths and assaults over the past decade:

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. Look for it here!

Resources:
- UCR crime statistics
- The Criminal Justice Information Services website