NLEOMF review of officers killed in the line of duty misleading

According to the mid-year review by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 67 officers were killed in the line of duty in the first half of 2014.

Upon reading the report, it becomes apparent that this number is not only factually inaccurate, but intentionally misleading.

While still considerably less than the number of civilians killed by police, the surprising death-toll appeared to give some justification to the "shoot first, ask later" mentality held by most law enforcement officers today.

When broken down into specifics, it paints quite a different picture.

Of the 67 officers included in the "killed in the line of duty" review, 16 of them reportedly died due to "job-related illnesses and other causes" - 13 of which were heart attacks.

The leading cause of death, claiming the lives of 26 officers, was traffic-related incidents. While the review does not specifically define the term, it can be inferred these fatalities did not involve gunfire.

While the percentage of officers who have died on the job seems to have increased since last year, the reality is this; less than five police officers are shot and killed in the line of duty every month. Whereas two or more civilians are killed by police everyday.

Gunfire claimed the lives of 25 law enforcement officers in the first 6 months of 2014. Of these 25 deaths,  six occured during the investigation of suspicious persons or situations, while five were categorized as ambushes.

Statistically, the deadliest day of the week for police, bearing 15 of the 67 deaths, is Monday. Conversely, Tuesday is the day of the week an officer is least likely to be killed, with only five reported deaths.