The FBI has released a report on law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, including data on felonious deaths from 2022. The FBI continuously releases this data through the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program. The program’s statistics provide information that law enforcement can use to protect officers and prevent future incidents. LEOKA adheres to a general set of law enforcement officer criteria when gathering data.

According to the report, the number of law enforcement officers who were feloniously killed in the year 2022 amounted to a total of 59. This indicates a decline from the previous year’s figure of 73 officers who lost their lives due to criminal acts. As per the press release, 58 law enforcement officers were killed accidentally in 2022 while performing their duties. Officers killed in 2022 had an average age of 39. At the time of the fatal incidents, each officer had an average of seven years of service.

Of the 59 officers feloniously killed, six were killed in unprovoked attacks. 49 officers were killed by firearms, three by offenders using vehicles used as weapons, and eight by use of personal weapons (fists, hands, feet, etc.). 10 of the identified offenders had prior criminal arrests, and two were under judicial supervision at the time of the incidents. 35 of the 58 officers killed accidentally were involved in motor vehicle crashes. Other circumstances included being struck by vehicles, aircraft crashes, falls, and firearm-related incidents.

For more information, check out previous LEOKA reports in HSDL and documents related to law enforcement officer deaths.