Nearly twice as many law enforcement officers were killed in 2014 as in 2013

FBI report: Nearly twice as many law enforcement officers were killed in 2014 as in 2013
(Image credit: Pedro A. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

An FBI report published Monday says that 51 U.S. law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2014. Only 27 were killed in the line of duty in 2013.

The Washington Post notes that while the increase in officer deaths seems high, the number of officers who died in 2014 is "still lower than what the country has seen in recent decades." An average of 64 officers were killed each year from 1980 to 2014, so 2014's officer death report was below the average. The Post also notes that 2013's 27 officer deaths mark the lowest officer death toll since 1980.

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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.