Ambush killings of police officers up over 366 percent: report

Washington – Ambush killings of law enforcement officers have increased more than 366 percent this year compared with the same time period one year ago, according to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Fourteen officers have been killed in ambush attacks, up from three in 2015, the report states. In two high-profile incidents, five law enforcement officers were killed July 7 in Dallas and, 10 days later, three law enforcement officers were killed in Baton Rouge, LA.

Fund President and CEO Craig W. Floyd said the targeted killings of officers must not continue.

“Each day some 900,000 men and women work to keep our communities safe, and we owe each of them a debt of gratitude,” Floyd said in a press release. “All American citizens should be outraged at the number of officers who have been targeted, shot and killed this year.”

Overall, 67 officers were killed in the line of duty compared with 62 in the first half of 2015. Firearms-related fatalities were up 78 percent in the first half of 2016.

However, transportation-related fatalities and those involving officers who died due to other causes, including heart attacks, have declined: 24 officers have died in transportation-related incidents so far this year, a decrease from 29 over the same period last year. Eleven officers have died from illnesses and other causes, down from 16 in 2015.