Police Officers Killed
Police Officers Killed, 2025. A Deadly Trend: The Alarming Rise in Shootings Against Police Officers
In recent years, violence against law enforcement has reached troubling new heights. According to the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), shootings targeting police officers have surged by 60% since 2018. The statistics tell a sobering story: 378 officers were shot in the line of duty in 2023 alone, the highest number since the FOP began tracking these incidents in 2015.
While police work has always carried inherent risks, the scale and frequency of these attacks are pushing the profession into uncharted territory. The rise is not limited to isolated confrontations or routine arrests gone wrong. Increasingly, officers are finding themselves the targets of calculated ambushes, situations designed to give them little to no chance of survival.
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The data reveals just how severe this problem has become. In 2023, there were 115 ambush-style attacks against officers, leading to 138 officers shot. These incidents represent a growing threat to public safety, not just for law enforcement but for the communities they serve. When officers are intentionally lured into violent traps, it erodes the sense of security that neighborhoods depend on.
Experts suggest several factors may be fueling the trend. Political polarization, anti-police sentiment, and the rise of organized criminal networks have created an environment where law enforcement is increasingly seen as a target rather than a protective force. Social media has also played a role, with some groups using online platforms to glorify attacks on officers or spread anti-police rhetoric.
For the officers themselves, the emotional toll is profound. Beyond the physical danger, many report increased stress, burnout, and concerns for their families’ safety. “The uniform paints a target on your back,” one veteran officer said recently. “It’s not just about going home safe anymore, it’s about surviving situations that are deliberately set up to kill you.”
Communities are also affected. When law enforcement officers face heightened threats, response times can suffer, recruitment can decline, and morale across entire departments can weaken. In the long run, that means fewer officers on the streets and less proactive policing, both of which make neighborhoods more vulnerable to crime.
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The Fraternal Order of Police and other organizations have called for stronger measures to protect officers, including harsher penalties for those who commit acts of violence against law enforcement, increased funding for officer safety training, and broader mental health support for those working in the profession.
Despite the grim statistics, many officers remain steadfast in their commitment to serve. Their resilience speaks to a deep sense of duty. But the growing number of shootings raises a pressing question: how can society better protect the protectors?
The numbers from 2023 serve as more than just statistics, they are a warning. A 60% increase in shootings since 2018 is not just a law enforcement issue, but a societal one. Unless communities, policymakers, and law enforcement leaders work together to address the causes behind this rise, the dangers officers face will only continue to escalate.
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Attributions
National Fraternal Order of Police
National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund
John J Wiley
Radio Show Host and Producer
Retired from the Baltimore Police Department at the rank of Sergeant. He was retired early due a permanent line of duty injury that occurred during an act of violence. The injury resulted in 3 surgeries, two steel plates and a fusion of his right wrist and thumb.
About 8 years after retiring from police work, he began a career in the audio broadcasting space. Starting with "audio-blogs" in 1999. Which progressed into a brokered once a week radio show and then led to broadcasting school.
After graduating he has been a full time FM radio personality and launched the Law Enforcement Today Show as a podcast in March of 2017. This was in a partnership with Law Enforcement Today's Robert Greenberg. The show was quickly recruited by radio and is a nationally syndicated radio show, broadcasting weekly on many US Radio Stations to millions of people.
The partnership with them ended in the Summer of 2023 and the show was renamed the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast.
The radio show is syndicated by Talk Media Network. Go to the Radio Page of the site for more information.
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