Introduction.

This publication presents tables, charts, and narrative comments addressing the number of law enforcement officers killed and assaulted in the line of duty. The unit of count is the victim officer, not the number of incidents nor weapons employed. In tabulations pertaining to weapons used, personal weapons are considered to be any part of the body--hands, fists, feet, etc.--that can be employed as a weapon. Because of differences in data collection and reporting procedures, care must be taken when attempting any comparisons between the information presented about law enforcement officers killed and those assaulted. Furthermore, care should also be taken in any direct comparison between data in this publication and those in prior issues of Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted because statistics are updated annually.