Good news about bad news: On-duty police deaths hit 80-year low

Five years after reaching an all-time high, the number of law enforcement officers killed nationwide in the line of duty hit an 80-year low in 2025, according to a new report.

The annual Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report says 111 officers died on the job or from line-of-duty injuries last year, down 25% from the 148 who died in 2024.

And it’s way down from the record 637 deaths in 2021, though those numbers were boosted significantly by the passing of officers who’d contracted COVID-19 on the job. The highest in a non-COVID year was 319 in 1930.

This year’s total is the lowest since 1944, when 98 officers were killed in the line of duty, according to data from report authors at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

The organization is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that operates a memorial to fallen officers near the National Mall, and works to educate the public about the profession and improve officer safety.

What’s behind the good news? Better policing and more focus on the mental and physical well-being of cops, according to the fund’s CEO, Bill Alexander.

“We lament to document even a single such death, but this encouraging downward trend in fatalities likely reflects the continued adoption of proven best practices by police, sheriff, and corrections agencies, as well as a growing emphasis on the physical and psychological health of the men and women who work to keep our communities safe,” he said in a statement accompanying this year’s report.

Local law enforcement leaders echoed those comments.

“It is encouraging to see a decline like this, and it reflects the work being done across the profession to improve officer safety through better training and awareness, with the goal of deputies and officers making it home to their loved ones at the end of each shift,” Lake County Sheriff John D. Idleburg said via email.

Bloomingdale Director of Public Safety Frank Giammarese credited police training “better than we ever have.”

However, he added, there should be no illusions about the risks inherent with the job.

“I don't think there is false hope that the job will be less dangerous,” he said. “Those things can happen at any time.”

Behind the numbers

There were two Illinois police officers included in this year’s report: Chicago police officer Krystal Rivera, who was fatally shot by her partner during a pursuit in June; and Park Forest Detective Tim Jones, who died in December from complications of gunshot wounds suffered while responding to a burglary in progress in 2016.

Their names, along with the 109 others, will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington. The memorial has the names of more than 24,000 officers who’ve died in the line of duty since 1786.

Shootings were the leading cause of death last year, claiming the lives of 44 officers. That was followed by crashes, which resulted in 34 deaths.

The ages of officers killed ranged from 24 years old to 78, with an average of 44; and they had between eight months and 47 years experience, with an average of 14 years on the job.

Addison awards

The number of law enforcement deaths could have been worse if not for the actions of a pair of Addison police officers who were honored this week for heroic actions during an active-shooter event Oct. 30.

Village officials say Sgt. Brad Riley and officer Dave Olejarz risked their lives during the incident, in which authorities say a man opened fire on officers who were responding to a disturbance call.

One officer was struck in the back, but fortunately not seriously injured thanks to a Kevlar vest.

Addison officials say Riley and Olejarz took direct fire and risked their lives to ensure the safety of their fellow officers and the community.

Each received recognition and commemorative plaques during an appearance before the Addison village board Monday,

In the meantime, suspected shooter Salvador Lozano, 45, remains held in the DuPage County jail awaiting trial on charges of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm at an officer, aggravated battery to an officer and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.

Courting trouble

Collecting ammunition may seem an odd hobby, but who are we to judge?

But bringing ammo to a courthouse? That’ll land you before a judge.

Such was the case for an Arlington Heights woman who authorities said tried to slip past security at the DuPage County Judicial Center in Wheaton with a bullet in her purse.

Security located the bullet when running the purse through a metal detector, court documents state. The woman was there for a court date on a misdemeanor charge of criminal damage to property, records show.

According to prosecutors, the woman told officers the bullet is a 7 mm “hunting round,” and she “collects that kind of ammunition because she likes the way they look.”

The woman was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon. She has felony drug convictions from 2012 and 2013, records show.

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