NLEOMF Releases 2020 Year-End Report on Law Enforcement Fatalities
According to preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), as of December 31, 2020, 264 federal, state, military, tribal, and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty in 2020, an increase of 96% from the 135 officers killed during the same period. In 2020, officer fatalities ranged from automobile crashes to heart attacks and from gunshots to being beaten to death. Of these tragic deaths, Covid-19 related fatalities were the single highest cause of officer line-of-duty deaths in 2020.
Of the 264 officers who have died in the line of duty, there were 145 confirmed Covid-19 cases. It must be noted however, as the pandemic rages on, NLEOMF has already identified a significant number of additional Covid-19-related fatalities. Once these cases are confirmed, NLEOMF projects that the total number of Covid-19 fatalities and the total number of line-of-duty deaths will grow significantly. Unfortunately, even with the preliminary Covid-19 fatalities, 2020 had the highest number of law enforcement line-ofduty deaths since 1974.
2020 Overview:
- 145 confirmed Covid-19 deaths
- 48 firearms-related fatalities
- 44 traffic-related fatalities
- 172 died of other causes
