34 officers shot in the line of duty in January; up 89% from 2021

More officers were shot in the line of duty in January than there were days in the month, according to statistics released Wednesday by the National Fraternal Order of Police.

January closed with 34 officers shot in the line of duty, according to the the world’s largest organization of law enforcement officers. That marks an 89% increase compared to the number of officers shot at the same month in 2021 and a 113% increase compared to 2020, the group reported.

The FOP did not release monthly data for January 2022.

The report found that three officers were killed by gunfire in January, down from four in the Januarys 2021 the same period in both 2021 and the same amount as in 2020.

This year there have been eight ambush-style attacks on law enforcement, resulting in nine officers being shot and the death of one.

“This past year has been one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement in recent history due to the increase of violence directed towards law enforcement officers as well as the nationwide crime crisis, which has seen criminals emboldened by the failed policies of pandering prosecutors and cynical politicians,” National FOP President Patrick Yoes said in a statement.

“Frankly, it is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 36 years of law enforcement,” Mr. Yoes said.

In 2022, 323 officers were shot in the line of duty and of those, 60 died.

Although 2022 has had some of the highest attacks on law enforcement in recent memory, it’s still not as bad as 2021, which set the record since the FOP began tracking the data in 2015.

In 2021, 346 officers were shot and 63 killed.

Mr. Yoes urged Congress to pass legislation that would make it a hate crime to attack, injure or kill people because of their status as a law enforcement officer. The bill, known as the Protect and Serve Act, has received some bipartisan support.

The American Civil Liberties Union and 45 other organizations have opposed the bill, saying that federal laws already provide cops with substantial protection, and a job is not a personal characteristic such as race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Mr. Yoes said the bill is necessary to address the spike in police officer ambushes.