Assaults on law enforcement officers are at the highest level they have been in ten years, the FBI revealed.
There were 79,091 total officers assaulted in 2023 — the highest number reported in a single year within the past ten, according to data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.
In 2023, the most common time these strikes occurred was during responses to simple assaults against non-officers, with 6,783 reported incidents, according to the FBI. Responses to drug/narcotics violations followed as the second most common instance of officer assaults, at 4,879.
Using firearms, assailants injured and assaulted approximately 466 officers in 2023, which is another ten-year high, the FBI reported.
More officers were feloniously killed at 194 total deaths between 2021 and 2023 than in any other three-year period within the past 20 years, according to the FBI. Sixty officers were killed in 2023, 61 officers in 2022 and 73 in 2021.
The #FBI released stats for 2023 showing a slight decline of officers feloniously killed (60) over the past 3 years, but an increase in officers assaulted (79,091). This #NationalPoliceWeek, we honor the 60 officers who died in the line of duty.https://t.co/3UEAojrJcg pic.twitter.com/wiYPsFdQaG
— FBI Knoxville (@FBIKnoxville) May 14, 2024
There were 57 offenders who committed felony murder of law enforcement officers in 2023, according to the FBI. Among the offenders, there were 32 previous violent arrests, but it is unknown how many individuals were responsible for this number. The FBI reported that 54 of the 57 offenders were male, 28 were white and eight reportedly suffer from mental illness. (RELATED: Police Officer Hiring Increased For First Year Since 2020, Survey Says)
The South region saw the most line-of-duty officer deaths compared to others, according to the FBI. There were 20 line-of-duty officer deaths in 2023, a 38% decrease from 32 in 2022.