There was an increase of nearly 60% of police officer murders in 2021.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on CBS’ 60 Minutes that 73 officers were killed in the line of duty in 2021, which translated to one officer getting killed every five days.
Wray said, “an alarming percentage” of officers who were killed were targeted or were ambushed while out on patrol.
The Fraternal Order of Police reported 103 officers were ambushed in 2021, 30 were killed in such attacks.
Separate data from the Council on Criminal Justice found that murders, overall, increased by 5% in 2021.
As of April, 17 officers in the U.S. have been shot and killed in 2022, according to FOP data.
