A new police officer mortality study is putting hard numbers behind what many in the profession have long felt: the job’s hazards do not end when the shift does.
Researchers analyzing National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) data from 2020 to 2023 found that law enforcement officers had a higher all-cause mortality risk than the broader working-age population, using age-standardized mortality rates to compare the groups.
The peer-reviewed study, published in Lancet Regional Health – Americas and available through PubMed Central, is based on death certificate surveillance data and focuses on “usual occupation,” a classification that reflects the job a person held for the longest portion of their working life.
Police officer mortality measured across the United States
The study population included roughly 2.5 million working-age decedents ages 16 to 64, of whom 15,384 had law enforcement as their usual occupation. Researchers reported that the average age of law enforcement deaths was 53.7, and that most were men.
Using NOMS data, the authors estimated all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates by sex for people identified as law enforcement officers, then compared those rates to the working-age population.
Leading causes tied to excess law enforcement officer mortality
Among male law enforcement officers, the study reported the leading causes of death were circulatory conditions, cancer, suicide, and COVID-19, with all rates presented as age-standardized mortality per 100,000.
Among female law enforcement officers, cancer was reported as the leading cause of death, with the study presenting a higher age-standardized rate compared with other causes for that subgroup.
The authors said the findings underscore a need for targeted prevention efforts to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease, cancer-related mortality, and suicide among law enforcement officers.
What the findings mean for agencies and officer wellness
The study’s authors described policing as a high-stress occupation shaped by organizational pressures, traumatic events, irregular schedules, long shifts, and other hazards that can erode health over time.
They also emphasized that the dataset provides a nationwide baseline that can help leaders identify where the profession is losing officers and where prevention efforts may yield the greatest payoff, especially in cardiovascular health, cancer prevention and screening, and suicide prevention.
Field Lessons are offered strictly as general, industry-standard reminders drawn from common safety practices and typical policy considerations. They are not based on any inside knowledge of this specific incident, do not presume what actions were taken, and should not be interpreted as commentary on the decisions made at the scene.
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Treat officer wellness as an officer safety issue. Make health risk reduction part of operational readiness, not a side program.
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Build screening into the job. Encourage routine cardiovascular checks and age-appropriate cancer screening with leadership support and protected time.
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Normalize peer support and early intervention. Suicide prevention works best when agencies lower stigma, train supervisors, and make help easy to access.
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Manage fatigue like a threat. Train on sleep, shift-work strategies, and recovery because chronic fatigue increases risk across safety, health, and decision-making.
- Seek training from a reputable source like the Leo-Network.
Dr. Travis Yates has pioneered a behavioral risk framework to help officers and leaders identify, assess, and articulate risk in rapidly evolving, uncertain situations. Find out more about the FOCUS Behavioral Risk Framework.
