New York State lost 8 police officers in the first half of 2011, the third most in the nation.
New York ranked third in the nation, behind Florida and Texas, both with 11 deaths, in a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The figures show a 14% increase in law officer fatalities nationwide. Despite the increase in gunfire fatalities, there’s been a decrease in police officer deaths involving traffic incidents.
Memorial Fund Chairman Craig Floyd said unfortunately danger is part of the job description for police officers and added the high numbers of fatalities could be because there are so many officers working in New York.
Nationwide there has been a totally of 98 deaths. Floyd said making sure officers are properly trained and solid funding for law enforcement are key to protect police officers.
