— CALL TO ACTION —
Tell Congress to Pass the "Protect and Serve Act"
2023 saw one of the highest number of officers shot in the line of duty in one year ever recorded.
There is no doubt that the recent erosion of respect for law enforcement has fueled more aggression towards police officers than what has been seen in previous years. As violence continues to be aimed at law enforcement, our officers continue to show up every day to keep the communities they serve safe. These men and women run toward danger to protect the public when everyone else is running away.
That is why Congress must act now to address the terrible violence targeting our law enforcement officers and pass the "Protect and Serve Act" to better protect the brave men and women who wear the badge and send a clear message to those who would seek to do them harm. This legislation sends a clear message to the violent criminals who deliberately target or ambush our law enforcement officers that they will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
The "Protect and Serve Act" would create a new Federal offense for those who deliberately target local, State, or Federal law enforcement officers with violence and is a direct response to the increased number of law enforcement officers who have been targeted for attack.
Please get in touch with each of your Members of Congress and ask them to support the H.R. 743, the "Protect and Serve Act!" To learn more about the legislation, please click here.
HERE ARE THE FACTS
- In 2023, 378 officers were shot in the line of duty, 46 of whom were killed. There were 138 ambush attacks on law enforcement officers, which resulted in 115 officers being shot, 20 of whom were killed. The number of officers shot in the line of duty increased 14% from 2022 and 9% compared to 2021.
- In 2022, 331 officers were shot in the line of duty, 62 of whom were killed. There were 89 ambush attacks on law enforcement officers, which resulted in 126 officers being shot, 32 of whom were killed. The number of officers shot in the line of duty increased 6% from 2020 and 13% compared to 2019.
- In 2021, 346 officers were shot in the line of duty, 63 of whom were killed. There were 103 ambush attacks on law enforcement officers (+115% from 2020 YTD), which resulted in 130 officers being shot, 30 of whom were killed.
- In 2020, 313 officers were shot in the line of duty, 47 of whom were killed. There were 44 ambush attacks on law enforcement officers, which resulted in 52 officers being shot, 12 of whom were killed. The number of officers shot in the line of duty increased 7% from 2019 and 33% compared to 2018.
- In 2018, the Criminal Justice Information Services Division within the FBI released a report entitled Ambushes and Unprovoked Attacks: Assaults on Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers. This comprehensive report concluded: “While the overall number of officers who were feloniously killed was declining, the percentage of officers feloniously killed during surprise attacks was increasing.”
- In May 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released a report entitled: The Assailant Study: Mindset and Behavior. The report identified a disturbing and growing trend of attackers who are motivated by a desire to kill a law enforcement officer. This motivation, the report concludes, is from a “singular narrative that portrays the officer as guilty in traditional and social media and the subject as the victim.”
- In October 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice released a report entitled: Ambushes of Police. The report detailed the number of ambush attacks on law enforcement officers from 1990-2013. In 2013 alone, there were between 200 and 300 ambush attacks reported. The Executive Summary of the report states:
…the proportion of fatal attacks on officers attributable to ambushes [is] increasing. Concerns about targeted violence against police are on the rise, while officers must not only be guardians of the public but also be prepared to respond to violence targeting them.