The Data: Tracking Police Officers Shot in the Line of Duty with Tim Richardson and Mark McDonald

Last year was one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement in recent history due to the increase of violence directed towards law enforcement officers. In 2021, 346 officers were shot in the line of duty, 63 of whom were killed by gunfire. This included 133 officers who were shot in 107 ambush-style attacks—an increase of 115% from 2020. Thirty-two of those officers ambushed were killed. Despite all of this, coupled with the nationwide crime crisis fueled by rogue prosecutors and the COVID-19 pandemic, the brave men and women of law enforcement continued to hold the line. They worked tirelessly to protect the communities they serve; they stood between good and evil. On this episode of the Blue View, National FOP President Patrick Yoes sits down with Tim Richardson, Senior Legislative Liaison, and Mark McDonald, Legislative Liaison, from the National FOP’s Government and Media Affairs Center to discuss the recently published 2021 Year-End Summary Law Enforcement Officers Shot in the Line of Duty report and dive in to how this data is collected and the trends we are seeing across the country.