(ProsperNews.net) – A record number of 378 police officers were shot in the line of duty in the US last year. A National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) report published in January states that the figure represents an increase of 14% from 2020, when 330 officers were shot. The report also says that shootings have risen 60% since 2018. Notably, there were 115 ambush attacks on officers in 2023.
FOP President Patrick Yoes hoped figures would fall from 2022’s high and Americans would realize the “tragic consequences” of police defunding rhetoric in recent years. “We were wrong,” he said.
Yoes went on to state that while shooting figures were up, fatalities were down – something he attributes to medical advancement. In 2023, 46 police officer shootings ended in death.
Ambush attacks are also higher than last year and have been growing since the start of the decade. In 2021, the FOP said ambushes increased 103% since 2020. Lt. Jason Pate of the Fort Myers Police Department, who trains officers to deal with ambushes, said every call contains high risk for officers, so he tries to prepare them for the unexpected.
The FOP defines ambush attacks as situations where an officer is shot without warning and with no chance to defend themselves.
Studies over recent years have also found that morale is reducing among American police officers, and mental health problems are on the rise. A Police 1 investigation in 2021 reported that 35% of officers suffer from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Black Lives Matter riots of 2020 and the anti-police rhetoric that accompanied them are also said to have had a significant impact on morale that, in turn, prompted an uptick in crime figures. Travis Campbell wrote in The Hill that police had scaled back their interaction with the public, “leading to an increase in crime and a decrease in police killings.” He added that officers are afraid to engage as they fear criticism, lawsuits, or even jail terms.
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