U.S. Police Deaths Down 23 Percent This Year

Obama administration put focus on police safety

The number of U.S. police officers killed in the line of duty this year is down by 23 percent. Last year, 165 law enforcement officers were killed; this year, 127 were, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Firearms-related deaths fell to 49 this year, down from from 72, and traffic-related incidents remained the biggest hazard but they, too, fell significantly, from 60 to 50 this year. Craig W. Floyd, the organization's chief executive, said the decline follows two years of what he called "alarming" increases, and credited close cooperation among federal, state and local authorities in bringing a new focus on officer safety. The decline also comes during the first full year under two Obama administration police safety programs, one run by the Justice Department and one by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NBC News)

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