COVID-19 was the leading cause of death for law enforcement officers in 2021, a year that also saw a record number of officer deaths overall, according to a new report released Tuesday. 

What You Need To Know

  • COVID-19 was the leading cause of death for law enforcement in 2021, according to a new report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

  • The report found that 458 federal, state and tribal law enforcement officers died in the line of duty last year, up 55% from the 295 officers who died the year prior 

  • At least 301 deaths were caused by COVID-19 in 2021, a number that “appears to increase almost daily," and which represents a 63% increase from the year prior

  • Of the 157 remaining deaths, 62 were firearms-related; another 58 deaths occurred in traffic incidents and a final 37 were classified as “other"

The preliminary report, shared by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, found that 458 federal, state and tribal law enforcement officers died in the line of duty last year, up 55% from the 295 officers who died the year prior. 

The previous peak in line-of-duty deaths occurred nearly a century ago, when 1930 saw a total of 312 such fatalities.

But well over half of the 2021 on-duty law enforcement deaths – 301 – were caused by COVID-19, a number that “appears to increase almost daily,” the group wrote in part. The death toll from COVID-19 last year marks a 63% increase from the year prior, when around 182 officers died from COVID-19. 

Those numbers do not reflect what NLEOMF considers to be a final count of officers who died from COVID-19 in 2021, which the group describes as having died due “to direct exposure to the virus during the commission of their official duties.”

“COVID-19 related fatalities continue to be the single highest cause of law enforcement deaths occurring in 2021,” it added. 

Of the 157 remaining deaths, 62 were firearms-related; another 58 deaths occurred in traffic incidents and a final 37 were classified as “other.” 

Twenty-five of those officers died from health-related illnesses including heart attacks or strokes; another four officers died after being beaten; four officers drowned; two died after being stabbed; one was killed in floodwaters and another was killed in a tornado. 

Texas saw the highest number of law enforcement deaths last year with 84, followed by Florida with 52 officer deaths and Georgia with 39. Only 10 states plus Washington, D.C., did not report any law enforcement deaths in 2021. 

The report does not say how many of the officers who died from COVID-19 were vaccinated, but officials in at least two of the states with leading officer deaths from the virus – Texas and Florida – have either banned vaccine mandates altogether, or are offering incentives to unvaccinated officers to move to their state. 

Numerous cities that imposed vaccine mandates on law enforcement have faced subsequent lawsuits from individuals who refused to get the vaccine, one of which was dismissed by a federal judge in Los Angeles on Monday. 

Over 80% of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Departments are vaccinated against COVID-19, but cases have begun to spike – both in the departments and statewide – due to the highly-contagious omicron variant. 

“With record numbers of COVID-19 cases each day, it is more important than ever that the first responders we trust to keep us safe comply with the vaccine mandate,” Los Angeles city attorney Mike Feuer wrote in a statement.