WASHINGTON — The FBI says that 72 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty last year, up from 56 the year before. An additional 53 officers died in accidents, and 54,774 officers were assaulted in the line of duty. The average age of officers killed in the line of duty was 38. Of the 72 slayings, 23 were in arrest situations, 15 were ambushed, 11 were in traffic pursuits or stops, and nine were in tactical situations. The report says 29 deaths happened in the South, 21 in the Midwest, 10 in the West, and 10 in the Northeast. The other two were in Puerto Rico. Sixty-nine of the slain officers were males.
