2019 end of year preliminary law enforcement officers fatalities … · 2020-05-12 · 8 | 2019 end...
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2019 End of Year Preliminary
Law Enforcement OfficersFatalities Report
2 | 2019 End of Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report
Preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows that as of December 27, 2019, 128 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty as of December 27 this year. That’s an 18 percent decrease from the 157 officers killed during the same period last year.
Firearms-related fatalities were the leading cause of officer deaths, with 49 officers killed in 2019. This represents a six percent decrease over the 52 officers killed in firearms-related incidents during the same period last year. Six were killed in ambush-style attacks. The leading circumstances of firearms-related fatalities were officers responding to a domestic related call, serving a high-risk warrant, and investigative activity.
Forty-three officers have been killed in traffic-related fatalities this year, a 12 percent decrease, compared to 49 deaths during the same period last year. Struck-by incidents, where an officer was outside of the patrol vehicle, were the leading circumstance of the traffic-related fatalities with 17 such fatalities during 2019—an increase of 21 percent over the 14 struck-by cases for 2018.
Thirty-six officers died of other causes during the reporting period in 2019, nineteen of which were job-related illnesses. Twelve officers died as a result of illnesses contracted during the 9/11 terrorist attack rescue and recovery efforts, two officers were fatally beaten, one officer was strangled, one officer drowned, and one officer was involved in a fire related incident involving an explosion.
Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities128
Law Enforcement Line-of-Duty Deaths Down 18 Percent in 2019
18%
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
Total Firearm-related Traffic-related Other
OtherTraffic-relatedFirearm-related49 43 36
128Total Fatalities
Law Enforcement Officer Fatalities 1969-2019Through End of Year
Note: End of Year is from January 1 through December 27 of each year.
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
The data and statistics contained in this report are preliminary and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2020.
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4 | 2019 End of Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report
Firearms-related FatalitiesFirearms-related fatalities claimed the lives of 49 officers in 2019, a six percent decrease compared to the 52 officers killed in firearms-related incidents in 2018. Of the 49 officer deaths, 8 officers were killed responding to domestic disturbance or public disturbance calls. Seven deaths occurred while officers were attempting to place an individual under arrest. Seven officers were killed while conducting investigative activity. Six officers were ambushed in 2019. Six officers were shot and killed while responding to a robbery. Four officers were killed while serving felony warrants and engaging in tactical activity.
Handguns were the leading type of firearm used against law enforcement in 2019. Of the 49 officer fatalities, 27 officers were shot and killed with a handgun; seven were shot and killed with a rifle and one officer was killed with a shotgun.
Of the 49 firearms-related fatalities in 2019, six occurred in January and February, the most of any other month. Five officers were shot each in the months of May and November. Four officers were shot each of the months of March, July, September and December. Three officers were shot in August, 2 in April and one in October.
49
Deputy Sheriff Sandeep DhaliwalHarris County (TX) Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: September 27, 2019
Deputy Sheriff Sandeep Dhaliwal was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop. The driver of the stopped vehicle approached Deputy Dhaliwal from behind and opened fire on him, shooting him in the back of the head. The suspect charged in Deputy Dhaliwal’s murder is a 47 year old man who was wanted for a parole violation.
Firearms-Related FatalitiesThrough End of Year
Note: End of Year is from January 1 through December 27 of each year.
Accidentally Shot-Mistaken for a Burglar
Investigative Activity
Drug Related Matters
Disturbance Call
Investigating suspicious personsor circumstances
Serving Felony Arrest Warrant
Tactical
Traffic Pursuit
Ambush
Robbery 6
6
1
2
2
5
1
3
7
1
27
14
7
BY FIREARM TYPE (2019)
BY DECADE (AVERAGE)
BY CIRCUMSTANCE (2019)
Handgun
Unknown
Rifle
1960s 1970s 1980s32 63 44 1990s 2000s 2010s35 29 52
BY MONTH (2019)
January
February
March
6
6
4
July
August
September
4
3
4
April
May
June
2
5
5
October
November
December
1
5
4
1Shotgun
Domestic Disturbance
Attempting arrest(excludes burglary and robbery arrest) 7
7
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Traffic-related FatalitiesForty-three officers were killed in traffic-related incidents during 2019, compared to 49 deaths over the same period last year, a 12 percent decrease. Of the 43 traffic-related incidents, 13 were automobile crashes involving a collision with another vehicle or fixed object, 12 were involved in a single-vehicle crash, 17 were struck while on the side of the road, and one was involved in a motorcycle crash.
The number of 2019 single-vehicle crashes decreased 14 percent over the 14 single-vehicle crashes in 2018.
Compared to the average number of traffic-related fatalities per decade, 2019 is lower than the past 10-year average (2010-2019). In the prior decade, 52 officers were killed on average in a given year. Since the 1960s, traffic-related fatalities have increased, even as overall law enforcement fatalities have been decreasing.
43
Since the 1960s, traffic-related fatalities have increased, even as overall law enforcement fatalities have been decreasing.
Traffic-Related FatalitiesThrough End of Year
2018
2019
2018
2019
2019
Motorcyle crash
Struck outside vehicle
Automobile crash
1
1417
25
BY CIRCUMSTANCE
30
Note: End of Year is from January 1 through December 27 of each year.
BY DECADE (AVERAGE)
1960s 1970s 1980s25 27 30 1990s 2000s 2010s29 33 52
Sergeant Kaila SullivanNassau Bay (TX) Police Department
End of Watch: December 10, 2019
Sergeant Kaila Sullivan was struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing from a traffic stop. Sergeant Sullivan was among a group of officers attempting to arrest a suspect with outstanding warrants. During the traffic stop, the suspect fought with officers, broke free and returned to the vehicle when he struck Sergeant Sullivan. Sergeant Sullivan was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Deputy Sheriff Makeem BrooksNorthampton County (NC) Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: November 13, 2019
Deputy Sheriff Makeem Brooks was killed in a single-vehicle crash while responding to a shots fired call. Deputy Brooks lost control of his patrol vehicle and the car left the roadway. He was transported to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Deputy Brooks died a short time later at the hospital.
Deputy Sheriff Stephen ReeceCheatham County (TN) Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: November 15, 2019
Deputy Sheriff Stephen Reece was killed in an automobile crash while on patrol. His marked, Ford Explorer was struck as it entered the highway. Deputy Reece died at the scene. He had served in law enforcement for 24 years, including 18 years with the Metro Nashville (TN) Police department.
Officers Fallen: Traffic-related
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Other Causes of FatalitiesThrough End of Year
2018
2019
2018
2019
2018
BeatenDrowned
Physical related incident (i.e. heart attack, TB, heat stroke)
9/11 Related Illnesses
14
21
2
19
2018
2019
2712
2019 2
2019 2019
Strangled Fire-related incident
11
BY CIRCUMSTANCE
Note: End of Year is from January 1 through December 27 of each year.
BY DECADE (AVERAGE)
1960s 1970s 1980s14 23 19 1990s 2000s 2010s19 17 53
Other Causes of FatalitiesThere was a decrease in the number of officers who died from other causes in 2019 compared to 2018. Thirty-six officers died from other causes in 2019 compared to 56 officers who died as a result of other causes during 2018, a 36 percent decrease.
Nineteen officers died in 2019 due to job-related illnesses. Twelve officers died as a result of illnesses contracted during the 9/11 rescue and recovery operations, one officer was was strangled, one died in a fire-related incident, one officer drowned and two were fatally beaten.
35
Deputy Sheriff Chris HulseyMeade County (KY) Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: September 21, 2019
Deputy Sheriff Chris Hulsey suffered a fatal heart attack after executing a search warrant and becoming involved in a physical altercation with a suspect. Deputy Hulsey was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Detective Luis AlvarezNew York City Police Department
End of Watch: June 29, 2019
Detective Alvarez succumbed to a cancer related illness stemming from his rescue and recovery efforts at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
Sergeant Joshua VothColorado Department of Corrections
End of Watch: December 4, 2019
Sergeant Joshua Voth was killed when a boiler exploded at the Fremont Correctional Facility in southern Colorado. Sergeant Voth. Sergeant Voth was a father of three and a licensed trade supervisor who worked with inmates to teach them trade skills.
Officers Fallen: Other Causes
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Demographics of FatalitiesSeventeen officers from the state of Texas and eleven officers from the state of New York were killed in the line of duty. The state of California suffered nine officer fatalities and seven were killed in the line of duty in Alabama. Six officers died in the states of Illinois, Georgia, and Tennessee. Florida and New Jersey each lost five officers. Four officers were killed in Louisiana, Mississippi and Washington. Ohio and Colorado each suffered three officer
fatalities. Six states lost two officers and 13 states lost one officer in 2019. Six federal officers, three territorial and four tribal officers were also killed in the line of duty in 2019.
Seventeen states and the District of Columbia did not lose an officer this year. One hundred nineteen fallen officers were male and nine were female. Their average age was 43 years, with 14 years of service. On average, each officer left behind two children.
WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA
WI VT NH
ME
AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC
CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE
OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI
HI AK TX FL
OK LA MS AL GA DC
Fatalities by StateThrough End of Year 2019
6+ 5 4 3 2 1 0Number of Fatalities: 18 States & DChad zero fatalities
Note: End of Year is from January 1 through December 27 of each year.
Fatalities by DemographicThrough End of Year 2019
GENDER AGE
TOUR OF DUTY LENGTH NUMBER OF CHILDREN
JURISDICTION
Male
Female
Youngest
Average
Oldest
Least
Average
Most
Shortest
Average
Longest
City
Sheriff
State/Tpr/Hwy Ptrl
Municipal/County PD
Territorial
Tribal
month
years
years
52
36
23
4
3
4
119
9
19
43
81
0
2.5
7
1
14
52
Federal 6
2019 End of Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report | 11
