Significant Decrease in Officer Fatalities in 2025

Thu Jan 08 2026 11:49:15 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The 2025 report shows a notable decrease in U.S. law enforcement officer fatalities, with significant declines in firearm and traffic-related deaths.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on-duty officer deaths in the U.S. decreased by 25% in 2025, marking a total of 111 fatalities compared to 148 in 2024. Firearm-related fatalities dropped to 44, the lowest in a decade, while traffic-related deaths also saw a 23% decline. Chief Executive Bill Alexander expressed hope for ongoing improvements in officer safety and pointed out that fewer fatalities do not equate to fewer instances of gunfire aimed at officers. Despite the positive trend, challenges remain, and the fight for officer safety continues.

Deaths of on-duty law enforcement officers in the U.S. decreased by nearly 25% in 2025, according to an annual report.

The report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, shared with The Associated Press ahead of its release Tuesday, shows a drop in all categories of fatalities, from 148 total deaths in 2024 to 111 last year.

Officer firearm fatalities dropped to 44, a 15% decrease from 52 in 2024 and the lowest number in at least a decade, according to the Fund’s previous annual officer fatality reports.

“I always like to see that firearms deaths are down. They are the tip of the spear for egregious acts,” said Bill Alexander, the chief executive officer of the Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that works to memorialize fallen officers, educate the public about the profession and improve officer safety.

Traffic-related deaths also decreased nearly 23% between 2024 and 2025, including both fatal traffic accidents and officers killed after being struck by a vehicle — usually during traffic stops.

Alexander noted that the reduction in traffic-related officer deaths could largely be attributed to increased national conversation around officer safety, with more states passing move-over laws to protect officers during traffic stops.

However, he emphasized, “Even one officer fatality is too many, and our ultimate goal is to have none. But we’re heartened by any decrease in those numbers.”

While fewer fatalities is a positive trend, the number of officers shot while on-duty did see a slight increase, concerning for the officer safety community.