Law enforcement deaths up 13 percent in 2011

WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The number of law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty in 2011 was 173, a 13 percent increase over last year, a report released Wednesday indicated.

The primary cause of death in 2011 was gunfire, claiming 68 officers, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said in a release.

The 173 deaths among federal, state and local officers was a huge 42 percent spike compared with the 122 officers killed while on duty in 2009, the organization said.

In 2011, the number of officers killed on highways dropped by 10 percent to 64 traffic-related deaths. Forty-one officers died of other causes.

"This is a devastating and unacceptable trend," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said in a statement. "Each of these deaths is a tragic reminder of the threats that law enforcement officers face each day -- and the fact that too many guns have fallen into the hands of those who are not legally permitted to possess them."

More officers were killed in Florida -- 14 -- than in any other state, followed by Texas with 13, the organization said. New York had 11 deaths, and California and Georgia had 10 each.

"Drastic budget cuts affecting law enforcement agencies across the country have put our officers at grave risk," National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Chairman Craig Floyd said. "At a time when officers are facing a more cold-blooded criminal element and fighting a war on terror, we are cutting vital resources necessary to ensure their safety and the safety of the innocent citizens they protect."

The report was released jointly by the NLEOMF and Concerns of Police Survivors, a non-profit organization that provides help to surviving family members and loved ones of officers killed in the line of duty.