A new report by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) shows that 67 police officers in the United States have been shot while on duty in the first two months of 2022. The number is a 40 percent increase from 2021 year-to-date and a 76 percent increase from 2020 year-to-date.
Of the 67 officers who were shot, nine were killed by gunfire. There have been 13 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers this year, resulting in 24 officers shot, with four being killed, according to the report. The number of ambush-style attacks listed does not include the countless incidents where an officer was shot at but not struck by gunfire during an ambush-style attack, the report notes.
🚨 The State of Policing in America ➡️ Criminals don’t care about shooting police officers, as they no longer fear the consequences for their actions because there often aren't any #SOTU
⚠️ 67 officers shot so far this year (⬆️ 76% from 2020 YTD)
⚠️ 24 shot in 13 ambush attacks pic.twitter.com/wTe10lPK1L
— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) March 1, 2022
An “ambush-style attack” is defined as when an officer is struck by gunfire without any warning or opportunity to defend themselves.
In most attack cases, “officers are able to quickly assess situations, recognize threats, and take adequate defensive actions,” the FOP notes. Tragically, however, “not every threat can be seen or mitigated.”
Those killed by gunfire so far in 2022 include Police Officer II Fernando Arroyos (CA), Detective Jason Rivera (NY), Corporal Charles Galloway (TX), Police Officer Wilbert Mora (NY), Police Officer Donald Sahota (WA), Police Officer John Painter (VA), Deputy Constable Neil Adams (TX), Police Officer Jorge David Alvarado, Jr. (CA), and Sergeant Joshua Caudell (AR).
The state with the highest number of officers shot in the line of duty so far in 2022 is Arizona, with the state claiming 10 total officers. Texas claimed seven officers while Georgia claimed five. California and New York both claimed four officers each while Washington, New Mexico, and Wisconsin claimed three each. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee all had two officers shot in the line of duty so far. The states of Illinois, Montana, Virginia, and Washington D.C. each saw one officer shot during this year.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
