Assaults on law enforcement in the US reached a 10-year high in 2023, the FBI says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The rate of assaults on American law enforcement reached a 10-year high in 2023, with more than 79,000 officer attacks reported, according to a new FBI report released Tuesday.

The report analyzes data from state, local, federal and other agencies across the U.S. to determine trends in violence against law enforcement. It shows that the number of officers assaulted and injured by guns is also climbing.

Agencies reported 466 assaults with firearms in 2023, which is the highest level in a decade, FBI officials said. That’s up from less than 200 officers assaulted and injured by guns in 2014.

There were 60 officers killed as the result of criminal acts in 2023, compared to 61 the year prior and 73 in 2021.

While those numbers declined over the last three years, there were more officer killings as the result of criminal acts in that time than any other three-year period in the last two decades, FBI officials said.

Those killed between 2014 and 2023 had an average of 12 years of experience as a sworn officer, according to the report.

More than 230 officers were reported accidentally killed in the line of duty between 2019 and 2023. Most of those officers — 57% — died in vehicle crashes, and another 30% were hit by a vehicle.