Memorial Day is a national holiday to remember those who died while serving in the US military. On May 15 we observed Peace Officer’s Memorial Day to remember law enforcement personnel who died in the line of duty.
- More than 900,000 sworn law enforcement officers now serve in the United States, the highest figure ever. About 12 percent of those are female.
- According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, an estimated 1,197,704 Violent Crimes occurred nationwide in 2015, an increase of 3.9 percent over 2014.
- Currently, there are 20,789 names engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
- Deaths in last 10 years: 1,439, an average of one death every 61 hours or 144 per year.
- Assaults on officers: 51,548 in 2015, resulting in 14,453 injuries.
- Deadliest Decade: The 1920s, when a total of 2,437 officers died, or an average of almost 243 each year
- Deadliest year: 1930, when 304 officers were killed. That figure dropped dramatically in the 1990s, to an average of 162 per year.
- Deadliest day: September 11, 2001, attack on America, when 72 officers were killed.
