Deaths of on-duty legislation enforcement officers within the U.S. decreased by practically 25% in 2025, based on an annual report.
The report from the Nationwide Legislation Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, shared with The Related Press forward of its launch Tuesday, reveals a drop in all classes of fatalities, from 148 complete deaths in 2024 to 111 final yr.
Officer firearm fatalities dropped to 44, a 15% lower from 52 in 2024 and the bottom quantity in no less than a decade, based on the Fund’s earlier annual officer fatality studies.
“I all the time prefer to see that firearms deaths are down. They’re the tip of the spear for egregious acts,” stated Invoice Alexander, the chief government officer of the Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works to memorialize fallen officers, educate the general public in regards to the occupation and enhance officer security.
Visitors-related deaths additionally decreased practically 23% between 2024 and 2025, together with each deadly site visitors accidents and officers killed after being struck by a car — normally throughout site visitors stops.
“Even one officer fatality is just too many, and our final purpose is to have none. However we’re heartened by any lower in these numbers,” Alexander stated.
Alexander stated the discount in traffic-related officer deaths doubtless could be attributed to a rise within the nationwide dialog round officer security on the street. Extra states across the nation have handed “move-over” legal guidelines requiring drivers to maneuver out of the lane closest to site visitors stops or accidents whereas passing them. There have been elevated efforts to direct officers to strategy the passenger aspect of vehicles throughout site visitors stops, eradicating them from journey lanes, Alexander stated.
The explanation behind the lower in firearm fatalities is more durable to outline. Whereas many departments have supplied elevated security coaching and have higher gear for firearm accidents, Alexander stated luck and different unquantifiable components additionally play a task.
“A few of it may come all the way down to an officer being shot near a hospital or possibly the officers had a tactical emergency equipment or higher blood stopping gear,” he stated.
Fewer fatalities additionally does not imply fewer situations of officers being shot or being shot at, he stated.
The Nationwide Fraternal Order of Police tracks the variety of officer shootings, each deadly and non-fatal. That report doesn’t embrace incidents the place officers had been shot at and never struck by gunfire.
The 2025 FOP report, launched this week, confirmed there was a small improve in officers shot whereas on-duty final yr — rising from 342 in 2024 to 347 in 2025.
Among the many high-profile taking pictures deaths in 2025 was Andrew Duarte, a West York Borough Police Division officer who was shot and killed in February whereas responding to a person who had taken a number of folks hostage in a York, Pennsylvania hospital. And legislation enforcement officers from across the nation attended funeral companies Monday for Delaware State Trooper Matthew “Ty” Snook, who was shot and killed whereas he was working an extra time shift at a DMV workplace on Dec. 23, after pushing a DMV worker out of the best way of the gunman.
The Nationwide Legislation Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s fatality report additionally confirmed no on-duty officer fatalities in 17 states and Washington D.C., and none on the nation’s federal and tribal legislation enforcement companies final yr.
It additionally confirmed a 37% drop within the “different” fatalities class that features bodily or medical points from on-duty incidents and most different fatalities like stabbings, drownings or aircraft crashes. The quantity dropped from 52 in 2024 to 33 in 2025, and consists of 14 officers who died final yr from diseases associated to responding to the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults.
Earlier annual studies included COVID-19 deaths, which elevated fatality numbers considerably in 2020 and 2021, however Alexander stated COVID deaths haven’t been included as on-duty fatalities within the final two years. The report additionally doesn’t embrace officers who dedicated suicide, although Alexander stated the group is having conversations about how one can honor and embrace these officers.
