Figures show drop in number of police killed on duty

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 1999 dropped to 42 -- the lowest level in 35 years, according to new FBI figures.

The number for calendar year 1999, the most recent figures available, represents a sharp decline from 1998 when 61 felonious killings of police officers occurred.

Of the 42 officers killed in 1999, all but one died from gunshot wounds. Twenty-seven were wearing body armor at the time.

Twenty-three of the slain officers worked for city police departments, 13 were with county police or sheriff's offices, five worked for state police agencies, and only one, a U.S. Park Service ranger, was a federal officer.

The FBI said the ranger had responded to a complaint of three unleashed dogs in a park area, and was shot and killed by the dogs' owner.

Circumstances surrounding the killings of the state and local officers varied widely.

Twelve officers were killed while making arrests, eight were enforcing traffic laws, six were answering disturbance calls, six were ambushed, five were investigating suspicious people or circumstances, two were investigating drug cases, and two were handling prisoners.

Although felonious killings were down sharply, the FBI reported 81 law enforcement officers were killed in accidents while on the job, and 55,026 were assaulted.

The statistics are included in the FBI publication "Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 1999," available on the Web at www.fbi.gov

The figures were compiled from 8,174 law enforcement agencies covering 72 percent of the U.S. population.

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