Deaths of police officers in the line of duty dropped 66% in the first half of 2023 compared with last year, says the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The memorial fund released a report detailing law enforcement deaths between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2023, finding that 52 officers had died. That is down from 153 officers who died over the same period in 2022, reports Fox News.
"There is no good news in reporting the death of even a single police officer," said fund interim CEO, Bill Alexander. "Yet based on this preliminary data, we are cautiously optimistic that conditions may be improving for our law enforcement professionals who willingly put themselves at risk to serve and protect."
The report said firearm-related deaths dropped 24% compared to 2022, while traffic deaths dropped 63%.
The organization said the youngest officer killed was 23 years old, while the oldest was in his mid-70s. The vast majority of officers killed were male, at 47, while just five female officers killed.
The fund noted a steep decrease in COVID-19 deaths among law enforcement officers – from 72 down to 2.
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Louisiana had the most police deaths of any state, with six, while Wisconsin and Pennsylvaniareported four each. California, Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, and Oklahoma had the third-highest number with three officer deaths eac.
Some, 26 states, as well as Washington, D.C., have not lost an officer so far in 2023.
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