On that fateful day, New York City Watchman Christian Luswanger, became the first police officer in America to be killed on Christmas Day when he was stabbed while attempting to maintain order.
| Det. Donald Miller Slain Christmas Day 2001 |
Since Watchman Luswanger's murder in 1806, 82 other law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty on Christmas Day, more than half of whom have been fatally shot.
On average, any given date of the year has seen about 56 law enforcement officer fatalities. So why does Christmas Day, a day that is supposed to be happy and peaceful, have such a disproportionate number of deaths at 83?
As it turns out, families fight when they get together. And as every police officer knows, domestic disturbances often have violent outcomes. Not only are officers victims of shootings that stem from domestic disturbances, but they are often killed in automobile crashes while responding them.
For those of you officers who will be working this Christmas Day please be extra vigilant. Wear your vest. Wear your seat belt. Slow down. Wait for backup if feasible. Most importantly, go home at the end of your shift. That is the best way to honor the brave men and women who were taken from their families on such a special day.
For everyone else, please visit the memorial of an officer who was killed or died in the line of duty on Christmas Day and leave them a special Reflection. They will never be forgotten.
| Watchman Christian Luswanger | New York City Watch, NY | 1806-12-25 |
| Watchman Henry Carroll | Cincinnati Police Division, OH | 1853-12-25 |
| Patrolman John D. Sullivan | Savannah Police Department, GA | 1869-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff John Green | United States Department of the Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Law Enforcement, US | 1878-12-25 |
| Sheriff George Washington Epperson | Bradford County Sheriff's Office, FL | 1885-12-25 |
| Deputy Marshal Matthew Barnhill | Jesup Police Department, GA | 1889-12-25 |
| Chief of Police William James Kittrell | Gainesville Police Department, GA | 1890-12-25 |
| Deputy Constable Tom H. Loftin | Falls County Constable's Office - Precinct 7, TX | 1894-12-25 |
| Deputy Marshal Columbus Brown | Orleans Police Department, IN | 1895-12-25 |
| Patrolman Louis Klusman | Cincinnati Police Division, OH | 1896-12-25 |
| Chief of Detectives John Donahue | Hot Springs Police Department, AR | 1902-12-25 |
| City Marshal L. Elmer Ferguson | Ringwood Police Department, OK | 1903-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Mack Roberts | Leslie County Sheriff's Office, KY | 1905-12-25 |
| Chief of Police James J. Mitchell | St. Petersburg Police Department, FL | 1905-12-25 |
| Deputy Chief Marshal James Leonard Holland | Booneville Police Department, AR | 1906-12-25 |
| Special Deputy Lee Eldridge | Sullivan County Sheriff's Department, TN | 1907-12-25 |
| Deputy Marshal John C. Mullins | United States Department of Justice - Marshals Service, US | 1908-12-25 |
| Corporal Juan Roig-Loyola | Puerto Rico Police Department, PR | 1908-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff David Olius (Ollie) Battle | Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, AL | 1910-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff John Ernst | Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, OK | 1910-12-25 |
| Policeman Floyd C. Eiler | Los Angeles Police Department, CA | 1911-12-25 |
| Police Officer William (Billie) Nelson | Midvale Police Department, UT | 1912-12-25 |
| Officer Otto Albertson | Poughkeepsie City Police Department, NY | 1916-12-25 |
| Police Officer Joseph A. Coghill | Dormont Police Department, PA | 1921-12-25 |
| Patrolman Joseph T. Connor | Quincy Police Department, MA | 1922-12-25 |
| Patrolman Neil McIntyre | South Bend Police Department, IN | 1923-12-25 |
| Chief of Police Nels H. Romer | Mandan Police Department, ND | 1926-12-25 |
| Detective Homer C. Nuckolls | Pine Bluff Police Department, AR | 1926-12-25 |
| Patrolman Walter E. Rauch | Dayton Police Department, OH | 1927-12-25 |
| Patrolman Herbert D. Allen | Boston Police Department, MA | 1927-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Langford Hennessey | Marion County Sheriff's Department, TN | 1927-12-25 |
| Sheriff George Washington (Wash) Coppinger | Marion County Sheriff's Department, TN | 1927-12-25 |
| Border Patrol Inspector Robert H. Lobdell | United States Department of Justice - Border Patrol, US | 1928-12-25 |
| Sergeant Francis Cyril Guest | Coral Gables Police Department, FL | 1928-12-25 |
| Police Officer Raleigh W. Taylor | San Antonio Police Department, TX | 1930-12-25 |
| Patrolman James D. Turner | Louisville and Nashville Railroad Police Department, RR | 1931-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Berry Palmer | Atkinson County Sheriff's Office, GA | 1931-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Owen Woodford Sizemore | Harlan County Sheriff's Department, KY | 1931-12-25 |
| Patrolman Edwin D. Milam | South Carolina Highway Patrol, SC | 1934-12-25 |
| Patrolman Joseph P. Reiner | New York City Police Department, NY | 1935-12-25 |
| Policeman Thomas O'Neill | Butte Police Department, MT | 1935-12-25 |
| Special Agent William E. Smith | United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, US | 1937-12-25 |
| Town Marshal John James Speed | Union Police Department, MS | 1937-12-25 |
| Officer Waldemar L. Jentzsch | San Francisco Police Department, CA | 1937-12-25 |
| Chief of Police Jasper Addison Gargis | Southern Pines Police Department, NC | 1939-12-25 |
| Policeman W. G. Chamberlain | Los Angeles Police Department, CA | 1941-12-25 |
| Policeman William J. Henderson | Philadelphia Police Department, PA | 1941-12-25 |
| Officer James J. Goodson | St. Petersburg Police Department, FL | 1947-12-25 |
| Sergeant Joseph L. Hojak | Johnstown Police Department, PA | 1949-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Bill Miller | Magoffin County Sheriff's Office, KY | 1951-12-25 |
| Patrolman Joseph Pych | Enfield Police Department, CT | 1954-12-25 |
| Auxiliary Policeman William James Henhoeffer | Philadelphia Police Department, PA | 1955-12-25 |
| Police Officer Marvin Elton Wills | Fort Worth Police Department, TX | 1955-12-25 |
| Patrolman William Ligon Acker | Anderson Police Department, SC | 1956-12-25 |
| Assistant Chief Robert Henry Potter | Tulia Police Department, TX | 1960-12-25 |
| Police Officer Dominic Paparelli | Archbald Borough Police Department, PA | 1960-12-25 |
| Sergeant Jack Lee Cooper | Baltimore City Police Department, MD | 1964-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff James M. Alexander | Washington County Sheriff's Office, ID | 1965-12-25 |
| Deputy Sheriff Frank Earl Dannenberg | Cook County Sheriff's Office - Department of Court Services, IL | 1967-12-25 |
| Detective Kathleen M. Reilly | Nassau County Police Department, NY | 1967-12-25 |
| Patrolman James A. Traylor | South Carolina Highway Patrol, SC | 1970-12-25 |
| Patrolman Leonard Meeks Jr. | North Carolina Highway Patrol, NC | 1972-12-25 |
| Chief of Police George H. King | Evarts Police Department, KY | 1973-12-25 |
| Sheriff William M. (Billy) Phillips | Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office, OK | 1980-12-25 |
| Patrolman Berry Joe McGuire | Amarillo Police Department, TX | 1980-12-25 |
| Officer Gerald Eldin Dormaier | California Highway Patrol, CA | 1980-12-25 |
| Police Officer Edward K. Alley Jr. | Birmingham Police Department, AL | 1980-12-25 |
| Officer Sam E. Etheredge Jr. | Daytona Beach Police Department, FL | 1980-12-25 |
| Corrections Employee Gregory J. Gunter | United States Department of Justice - Federal Bureau of Prisons, US | 1982-12-25 |
| Policeman Guadalupe Sanchez-Morales | Puerto Rico Police Department, PR | 1982-12-25 |
| Detective Robert L. Zore | Metro-Dade Police Department, FL | 1983-12-25 |
| Lieutenant Thurman Earl Sharp | Marion County Sheriff's Department, IN | 1988-12-25 |
| Police Officer Freddie Dukes | Philadelphia Police Department, PA | 1990-12-25 |
| Officer George A. Dzyak | Rostraver Police Department, PA | 1993-12-25 |
| Deputy Darryn Leroy Robins | Orange County Sheriff's Department, CA | 1993-12-25 |
| Police Officer Jerome Harrison Seaberry Sr. | Lake Charles Police Department, LA | 1995-12-25 |
| Patrolman Mark Allen Swaney | Davidson Police Department, NC | 1997-12-25 |
| Detective Donald Miller | New Bern Police Department, NC | 2001-12-25 |
| Police Officer John Patrick Watson | Kenai Police Department, AK | 2003-12-25 |
| Police Officer Robert Nguyen | Jersey City Police Department, NJ | 2005-12-25 |
| Police Officer Shawn Carson | Jersey City Police Department, NJ | 2005-12-25 |
| Sergeant Marc Charles Wilbur | Avon Park Police Department, FL | 2008-12-25 |
| Corporal Dennis Edward Engelhard | Missouri State Highway Patrol, MO | 2009-12-25 |
