Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the U.S. and Puerto Rico rose from 72 in 2011 from 56 the previous year, according to newly released FBI data, the AP reports.
Of the 72 fatalities, most involved an officer trying to make an arrest.
Most of the deaths – 29 – occurred in the South, while the West and Northeast had 10 each. In the Midwest, 21 officers were killed.
Police also died other ways. The FBI reports that 53 cops die in accidents in 2011, while nearly 55,000 were injured while in the line of duty.
