Assaults against law enforcement officers rose in 2020
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In 2020, 60,105 law enforcement officers were assaulted while on the job, including 46 who were killed, the FBI said.
This is an increase of 4,071 cases from 2019. About 31 percent of the officers sustained injuries, and nearly a third of the assaults took place on disturbance calls, like domestic disputes and bar fights. The FBI determined the number of assaults after gathering reports from 9,895 law enforcement agencies.
Major Cities Chiefs Association Executive Director Laura Cooper told ABC News that these "dangerous situations are another reason why it has been difficult for police agencies to find recruits who want to put on a uniform and put their lives on the line."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
