The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund says 128 officers died in the line of duty over the past year, an 18-percent decrease from 2018. The Fund’s CEO Marcia Ferranto says there were four officer deaths in Louisiana.
“Two of which were by firearms, one was a traffic-related death and the other was a physical-related death,” said Ferranto.
Ferranto on why we’ve seen a decline in law enforcement officer fatalities.
“The use of body cameras has helped considerably, I think the use of bullet-resistant vests has also helped,” said Ferranto.
Shreveport police officer Chateri Payne and Mandeville Police Captain Vincent Liberto were fatally shot. Baton Rouge Police Officer Shane Totty died in a motorcycle accident. Ferranto says shootings and traffic accidents are the reason for most officer deaths while on duty.
“49 of the 128 deaths were related to firearms and 43 were traffic-related accidents,” said Ferranto.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Whitstine died from congestive heart failure before crashing while driving to work.
(Phot0) Captain Vincent Liberto
