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Saturday 29 december 2018

More U.S. police officers die on duty than before

By ERIC TUCKER a very steep price,” Floyd
Associated Press said in a statement ac-
WASHINGTON (AP) — More companying the report.
police officers have died “We must never take the
in the line of duty this year service and sacrifice of law
in the United States than in enforcement officers for
2017, according to data re- granted, and we must re-
leased Thursday. member the families of the
The most common cause of fallen who are left behind.”
death was gunfire, and ve- Of the officers who died
hicular accidents claimed in traffic-related incidents,
nearly as many officers’ 32 were killed in crashes
lives. involving another vehicle
The National Law Enforce- and 14 were struck while
ment Officers Memorial outside their vehicle.
Fund said in a report that An additional four were
144 federal, state and local killed in motorcycle crash-
officers have died so far in es.
2018. The officers who died in
That figure represents 2018 include a sheriff’s dep-
roughly a 12 percent in- uty in Sacramento County,
crease from the 129 who California, killed in a shoot-
died in 2017. out at an auto parts store;
The majority of the officers a Greensboro, North Caro-
who died were either shot lina, police officer killed in
— 52 this year, up from 46 in a car crash while respond-
2017 — or fatally injured in In this Oct. 8, 2018, file photo, mourners and police officers from around the country attend a ing to a call for a robbery;
car or motorcycle crashes, memorial service before the funeral for fallen Florence police officer Sgt. Terrence Carraway at and a Greene County, Mis-
which accounted for 50 the Florence Center in Florence, S.C. souri, sheriff’s deputy who
deaths. Associated Press drowned when his car was
Other fatalities involved shot, eight were killed dur- Two were fatally shot while executive officer, called swept away by rising water.
heart attacks, strokes, ing investigative activ- serving warrants, two died the increase in deaths dis- The states that experi-
drownings and cancer and ity and six were killed while while handling or transport- appointing after a decline enced the highest number
other illnesses among those responding to calls of a ing prisoners and two oth- in 2017. of officer fatalities were Tex-
who responded to the 9/11 domestic or public distur- ers were inadvertently shot “Sadly this reminds us that as, California, Florida and
World Trade Center attack. bance, according to the by other officers. public safety is a danger- New York, with 11 fatalities
Of the officers who were report. Craig Floyd, the fund’s chief ous job and can come at each.q