WASHINGTON — As violent crime rises dramatically around the country, so does the risk for cops. As a result, more law enforcement officers are being murdered in 2021. Recent numbers show the alarming trend.
Christopher Wray highlighted the issue in an appearance Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee. The FBI director noted that 37 law enforcement officers had been murdered in the first five months of 2021, compared with 46 during all of 2020, according to rev.com.
“And that’s not counting all those officers who’ve died in the line of duty facing the countless other inherent dangers of the job, like from a car accident in pursuit after a subject or drowning during an attempted rescue,” Wray said. “Or even the scores of officers who’ve died from Covid-19. Because, of course, law enforcement kept coming to work every day despite the pandemic.”
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has documented 148 police officer line-of-duty deaths from all causes so far in 2021, up from 134 this time last year, NBC News reported. Of particular note, traffic deaths have risen 42 percent, according to those statistics.
Every time a law enforcement officer dies due to a felonious assault, Wray told Congress that he makes a condolence call to the family, according to NBC.
“Since August of 2017 when I started in this job, I’ve made more than 200 of those calls,” he said. “And with each one I think about the friends and family members rocked by the loss of a loved one, the careers cut short and the communities hurting.”
He added, “It takes a pretty special person to get up in the morning and put his or her life on the line for a total stranger.”
Law Officer would also like to add, “It takes an EXTRA special person to get up late at night—after sleeping restlessly during the day—and put his or her life on the line for a total stranger.” … THANK YOU!
