Never Forget: 135 on-duty police officers died in 2016
(FOX 13) - A report from The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund shows more officers were killed in the line of duty in 2016 than in the previous year.
135 officers lost their lives while on-duty in 2016 - a 10-percent rise from 2015.
The report says 64 officers died in gun-related incidents this year, which is a 56-percent increase and the highest number of death by firearms since 2011, when 73 officers were shot and killed in the line of duty.
A statement from the NLEOMF noted there were eight incidents were multiple officers' lives were taken, including an ambush attack on officers in Dallas, Texas and three in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - both in July.
"Firearms-related incidents were the number one cause of death in 2016, with 64 officers shot and killed across the country," read a statement released by the NLEOMF. "Of the 64 shooting deaths of officers this year, 21 were the result of ambush-style attacks—the highest total in more than two decades."
The overall number of deaths - 135 - represents officers who died in traffic fatalities and other causes. The number is still lower than the average of the last ten years, which is 144 deaths per year.
NLEOMF data also shows the 1970s were some of the deadliest years for police officers, with an average of 231 deaths per year. The 80s followed at an average of 175 deaths per year.