Officer Down

Taps! I've heard them way too many times in my career in law enforcement. I've stood at attention at too many funerals. Lately I've been hearing about too many officers killed in the line of duty. It's still January and look at the list of officers that are never going to go home again. Eleven cops have been shot in just the last 24 hours. As most agencies are laying off law enforcement personnel the criminals are getting bolder and bolder.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund's preliminary "2010 End of Year Officer Fatality Report," officer fatalities reached 162, a nearly 40 percent increase from the 117 in 2009. Of the 162 officers killed in the line of duty, 61 were shot � a 24 percent increase from 2009. Tragically, the trend continued with 14 officer deaths in January, 10 of which resulted from shootings accounting for a 40 percent increase compared to the same period in 2010.

Deputy Sheriff Suzanne Hopper Clark County Sheriff's Office, OH EOW: Saturday, January 1, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Deputy Sheriff John Norsworthy Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office, TX EOW: Tuesday, January 4, 2011 Cause of Death: Automobile accident

Chief of Police Ralph Painter Rainier Police Department, OR EOW: Wednesday, January 5, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer William H. Torbit Jr. Baltimore City Police Department, MD EOW: Sunday, January 9, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire (Accidental)

Police Officer Rogerio Morales Davie Police Department, FL EOW: Thursday, January 13, 2011 Cause of Death: Heart attack

Police Officer Kevin P. Marceau Dallas Police Department, TX EOW: Friday, January 14, 2011 Cause of Death: Struck by vehicle

Police Officer Christopher Matlosz Lakewood Police Department, NJ EOW: Friday, January 14, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer Larry Nehasil Livonia Police Department, MI EOW: Monday, January 17, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer Tom Hayes Columbus Division of Police, OH EOW: Thursday, January 20, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Detective Roger Castillo Miami-Dade Police Department, FL EOW: Thursday, January 20, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Detective Amanda Haworth Miami-Dade Police Department, FL EOW: Thursday, January 20, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Corporal Charles Richard (Chuck) Nesbitt Jr. Sumter Police Department, SC EOW: Friday, January 21, 2011 Cause of Death: Automobile accident

Sergeant Tom Baitinger St. Petersburg Police Department, FL EOW: Monday, January 24, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Police Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz St. Petersburg Police Department, FL EOW: Monday, January 24, 2011 Cause of Death: Gunfire

Source: The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc.

On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1792, nearly 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. Source: National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

My fear? It's a war on cops.