In a shocking report released on Monday, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) revealed that there were 34 police officers who were shot while on duty in January 2023, marking a 113% increase from the same time period in 2020.
According to FOP's report, 331 police officers were shot and 62 were killed on duty last year, a substantial increase from 2020 where 312 were shot and 47 killed, and four years prior when 237 officers were shot and 53 killed.
Of the officers shot last month, nine of them were victims of ambush-style attacks, a term used for a surprise attack on a police officer without any warning or opportunity for defense. The President of the Fraternal Order of Police, Patrick Yoes, confirmed that there were 88 ambush-style attacks on police officers last year, resulting in 125 officers being shot and 31 being killed.
According to the FOP report, California, Minnesota, and Texas had the highest number of officer shootings, with each state reporting three separate incidents. On January 25th, a police officer was shot in White Bear Lake, Minnesota while responding to a call about a felony domestic assault. He is expected to recover.
Meanwhile, in Selma, California, a police officer was shot and killed on February 1st after a woman flagged him down to alert him to a suspicious car. The officer was shot multiple times and eventually succumbed to his injuries.
"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," said Yoes. "Frankly, it is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 36 years of law enforcement."
