Thin blue line stricken by virus
Pandemic takes toll on cops
Sixty-five law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty so far this year, but coronavirus deaths could push that number up to as many as 118, according to the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.
The 65 officers killed through June 30 represent a 14% decrease over the same period last year. Of those officers, 27 were killed in firearms-related incidents, 26 were killed in traffic-related incidents, and 12 died due to other causes, such as job-related illnesses, according to the report.
Five were confirmed COVID-19-related officer line-of-duty deaths, the report said, and another 53 coronavirus cases are pending. If those cases are confirmed, the total number of law enforcement deaths for the first six months of this year would soar to 118, a 55% increase over the same period last year, and would make COVID-19 the single leading cause of law enforcement deaths this year.
“The numbers so far this year show a 14% decrease in overall officer line-of-duty deaths, and while we’re pleased to see this trend, the data shows there’s still a great deal of work to be done to keep these officers’ names off the Memorial walls,” said Marcia Ferranto, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO. “We also cannot ignore the severe impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the brave men and women who serve, as well as the impact on their families.”
Barring those still-to-be-confirmed COVID-19 cases, shootings were the leading cause of law enforcement deaths this year, with 27 fatalities in 2020, compared to 28 over the same period in 2019.
Of the 12 officers who died of other causes during the first half of 2020, five died of COVID-19-related illness, including Officer Jose V. Fontanez, a 29-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, who died in April.
Other causes of death included heart attack, stroke and 9/11-related illnesses and, in one case, a helicopter crash, according to the report.
Texas led the country in officer fatalities, losing eleven officers in the line of duty for the first half of 2020. California lost five officers, and Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and South Carolina lost three officers each.
Mark K. Leahy, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said the decline in total U.S. deaths is “unremarkable,” given state shutdowns due to the pandemic.
“At a time when police officers are widely stereotyped and vilified over a relatively few tragic incidents,” Leahy said, “this report details exactly why our police officers need the support of their communities.”