In 2011, the number of officers feloniously killed in the line of duty reached 68, the second highest figure on record, representing a 70 percent increase from a low point of 42 just two years prior.1 Although the most recent figures from the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) program show that the number of officers feloniously killed in the line of duty decreased considerably in 2012 to 48, officer safety remains a long-standing and motivating concern of law enforcement agencies across the United States.2
Among the officers feloniously killed since 1990, there appears to be a growing trend of ambushes. In 1993, for instance, ambushing was used by assailants in 5 percent of felonious deaths of U.S. law enforcement. In the past five years (2008–2012), however, ambushes have made up 15 to 32 percent of felonious police deaths.3
