• U.S.

The Number of Police Officers Killed by Firearms Jumped by 56% in 2014

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Police salute during the playing of the U.S. National Anthem outside the Christ Tabernacle Church at the start of the funeral service for slain NYPD officer Ramos in the Queens borough of New York
Police salute during the playing of the U.S. national anthem outside the Christ Tabernacle Church in New York City at the start of the funeral service for slain New York Police Department officer Rafael Ramos on Dec. 27, 2014© Mike Segar— Reuters
By Helen Regan

The number of U.S. law-enforcement officers killed by firearm-related incidents jumped by 56% in 2014, an annual report has found.

According to the report, released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) on Tuesday, 50 officers were killed by firearms, up from 32 in 2013.

In total, there were 126 officer fatalities throughout the year, a 24% increase from 2013 when 102 officers were killed.

After firearms, traffic-related incidents were the second leading cause of officer deaths in 2014, killing 49 officers.

With ambush attacks resulting in 15 deaths this year, NLEOMF chairman Craig Floyd expressed concern that antigovernment sentiment in the country was influencing individuals to carry out attacks on police officers.

“Enough is enough. We need to tone down the rhetoric and rally in support of law enforcement and against lawlessness,” he said.

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Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com