Law Enforcement Officer Deaths in Line of Duty Fell 17 Percent in 2025

The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty dropped 17.2 percent in 2025 compared with the prior year. Non-fatal assaults against officers have been rising since 2021, according to data released Monday. In 2025, there were 53 law enforcement officers killed in felony acts.

All but 10 of them died from gunshot wounds. In 2024 there were 64 officers feloniously killed. The majority of those killed in 2025 were White males. Most of the incidents took place in the South, the region that employs the largest number of police officers and has the largest population of the areas included in the study.

Although the number of officers killed decreased by 11 in 2025, the overall trend of officers killed in the line of duty has been on the rise since 2021. A total of 258 officers were feloniously killed between 2021 and 2024. That figure represents more officers killed than any other consecutive four-year period on record.

The year with the highest number of deaths was 2021, when 71 officers were killed in the line of duty.

Officers were assaulted at a rate of 13.8 assaults per 100 officers in 2025. That is the highest assault rate in the past 10 years. The number of officers assaulted and injured by firearms reached 445. The data provide a mixed picture of risks facing law enforcement personnel.

While fatal incidents declined year-over-year, longer-term trends show elevated levels of violence compared with periods before 2021. The figures cover only felonious killings and do not include deaths from accidents or illness.