We honor those who have served ... - Elkhart County Sheriff's ...

A total of 1,649 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty
during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 53 hours.
During 2006, 145 law enforcement officers were killed,
including one from our area, South Bend Cpl. Scott Severns.
Crime fighting has taken its toll. Since the first recorded
police death in 1792, more than 17,900 law enforcement
officers have been killed in the line of duty. Their names are
engraved on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers
Memorial in the nation’s capital.
The deadliest decade in law enforcement history was 1970-
79, when a total of 2,275 officers died. The deadliest year in
law enforcement history was 1930, when 279 officers were
killed. That figure dropped dramatically in the 1990s, to an
average of 159 per year.
The deadliest day in law enforcement history was Sept. 11,
2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to
terrorist attacks on America.
New York City has lost more officers in the line of duty
(688) than any other department. California has lost 1,420
officers, more than any other state.
During the past ten years, more officers were killed on
Friday than any other day of the week. The fewest number
of fatalities occurred on Sunday.
Over the past decade, more officers were killed between 8
and 10 p.m. than during any other two-hour period.
On average, more than 56,000 law enforcement officers are
assaulted each year, resulting in about 16,000 injuries.
More than 870,000 sworn law enforcement officers now
serve in the United States, the highest figure ever.
In 2005, about 5.2 million violent crimes were committed
in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the
federal government.
Violent crimes have declined by 58 percent since 1993.
• Firearm discharges (6,846, 49 percent)
• Automobile crashes (2,090, 15 percent)
• Motorcycle crashes (1,022, 7 percent)
• Struck by vehicles (955, 7 percent)
• Job-related illnesses (588, 4 percent)
The cause of fatalities in the past century:
• Aircraft crashes (311, 2 percent)
• Stabbings (197, 1 percent)
• Falls (147, 1 percent)
• Drownings (142, 1 percent)
• Beatings (134, 1 percent)