(Citizens Behind The Badge): For more than 80 years, this country has not seen a single year with fewer than 100 law enforcement officer fatalities. Last year was no different. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that 111 officers died in 2025, including 44 who were brutally gunned down.
But the danger facing America’s officers goes far beyond fatalities. In 2024, criminal assaults against officers reached 85,730 — the highest number in a decade. According to the Fraternal Order of Police, the past three years have been among the most violent ever recorded. In both 2023 and 2024, 378 officers were shot, the highest totals the FOP has ever documented. Even with a slight decline in 2025, 347 officers were still shot in the line of duty.
Ambush attacks — the most cold‑blooded form of violence against police — have remained at crisis levels since 2021. Each year, between 50 and 70 ambushes leave 70 to 100 officers shot. These are not random spikes. They are part of a sustained pattern of targeted violence, fueled by years of anti‑police rhetoric and soft‑on‑crime policies that have emboldened criminals and eroded respect for the rule of law.
These numbers tell a clear story: America’s officers are under attack. And when an officer is murdered, the consequences ripple far beyond a single community. It is not just a local tragedy — it is an assault on the nation’s commitment to public safety. Yet our laws still treat these murders as purely local crimes, handled differently in every state, county, and municipality. That fractured system fails officers, fails families, and fails justice.
It is time to fix it.
Killing a law enforcement officer should be a federal crime — everywhere, every time. Only federal jurisdiction can guarantee the strongest possible investigation, the most experienced prosecutors, and penalties that reflect the gravity of the crime, including eligibility for the federal death penalty.
I speak from experience. In August 1987, while serving in Riverside, Illinois, I was shot in the line of duty. I survived only because of my bulletproof vest. I know what it means to face that threat. I know what it means for families who get the call no one ever wants to receive. And I know how uneven the pursuit of justice can be depending on where that tragedy occurs.
I have long pushed for a reform that should already be law: when an officer is murdered, federal agents and prosecutors should immediately join the investigation. Local departments would still secure the scene, coordinate witnesses, and support the family. But federal involvement would ensure consistency, expertise, and authority — so that every case, in every ZIP code, receives the same rigorous pursuit of justice.
We already have a model for this. When a major aircraft accident occurs, the National Transportation Safety Board deploys a rapid‑response “Go Team” of investigators, engineers, and forensic experts. They move instantly, with national authority and unmatched technical skill. We need the same approach when an officer is killed: a federal Go Team dedicated to evidence collection, forensic analysis, and communication with families and the public.
This is not about replacing local law enforcement. It is about reinforcing them. It is about ensuring that no investigation is hindered by local resource shortages, political pressures, or prosecutorial indifference. It is about guaranteeing that the murder of a police officer is treated with the seriousness it deserves — every time, everywhere.
Congress already has legislation that would accomplish this. The “Back the Blue Act” — introduced in both the Senate (S. 3366) and the House (H.R. 4310) — would make the killing of a law enforcement officer a federal offense with severe penalties, including the possibility of the federal death penalty. The bill applies to any officer working for an agency receiving federal funding, which includes the overwhelming majority of departments nationwide. It is the closest Congress has ever come to establishing a national standard.
And yet, this legislation has languished for more than a decade.
How many more officers must be shot? How many more families must endure the agony of uncertainty while jurisdictions struggle with limited resources or inconsistent priorities? How many more years will Congress wait before acknowledging that the murder of a police officer is not just a local crime, but a national crisis?
America’s officers and their families should not have to wait any longer. Congress must act — now — to make the killing of a law enforcement officer a federal crime and ensure that every fallen hero receives the full measure of justice this nation can deliver.
We owe them nothing less.
Tom Weitzel is a retired 30-year law enforcement veteran, including 13 years as Chief of the Riverside, Illinois Police Department. He currently serves as an Ambassador for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in Washington, D.C.
