An International Journal: Latest News

Two police officers stand in the plaza in front of The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) NEW YORK - A newly published study found that COVID-19 was the leading cause of duty-related deaths among law enforcement officers in the United States in 2020. According to the data obtained from the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund database for the year 2020, COVID-19 deaths accounted for 62% of the 295 duty-related law enforcement officer deaths.The study, published in "Policing: An International Journal," also found that 82% of deaths were among Black members of law enforcement and 77% of deaths were among Latinx officers — far higher than the 48% of deaths among White police officers.The database contained deaths designated as those caused by incidents that occurred while in the line of duty.To compute the rate of death, researchers from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also obtained data on the total number of law enforcement officers employed in the U.S.

COVID-19 caused 62% of duty-related deaths of US police officers in the first year of the pandemic—a rate that rose to 77% to 82% among minority officers—according to a new study published in Policing: An International Journal.