In the final month of 2018, a total of ten law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in the U.S., bringing the annual total to 148 fallen officers. Of the ten officers who gave their lives in December, half were the result of auto-related incidents: one vehicle pursuit, one auto crash, one ATV crash, one vehicular assault, and one struck by vehicle. Two officers died in December 2018 after being struck by a train. The final three line of duty deaths last month were the result of gunfire.
At the end of 2018, line of duty deaths annually were up by 6% over 2017, but it should be noted that 2017 had the second lowest number of line of duty deaths in the last decade. The 2018 LODD total is the second lowest annual total in the last five years, and the third lowest since 2010. We are hopeful that this downward trend continues.
The Officer Down Memorial Page offers our sincere condolences to the families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death in December 2018. Please take a moment to read their memorials and remember the fallen:
Las Animas County Sheriff's Office (CO)
Miami-Dade Police Department (FL)
Charlestown Police Department (IN)
DeKalb County Police Department (GA)
Lumberton Police Department (NC)
Chicago Police Department (IL)
Chicago Police Department (IL)
Louisville Metro Police Department (KY)
Newman Police Department (CA)
Henry County Police Deparment (GA)