The FBI has released its 2018 LEOKA report, detailing the line-of-duty deaths that occurred last year. In 2018, 106 law enforcement officers were reported killed in the line of duty, with a 20% increase in felonious deaths of law enforcement officers compared to the previous year (from 46 to 55), according to the FBI's report "Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2018."

Of the 106 line-of-duty deaths in the United States in 2018, 55 officers were feloniously killed, and 51 officers died in accidents. The majority of officer deaths occurred in the South, with 26 killed by offenders and 27 accidental deaths. One officer was feloniously killed in Puerto Rico.

The average ages of the officers who were feloniously killed and died in accidents were 37 years old and 36 years old, respectively, all with an average of 10 years served in law enforcement at the times of their deaths.

Firearms were used to kill 51 of the 55 feloniously killed officers, mostly with handguns, while four officers were killed with vehicles being used as weapons. A total of 11 officers were ambushed while involved in some type of pursuit.

The majority of officer deaths by accident occurred in motor vehicle crashes. Five of those officers were on motorcycles or ATVs. Of the 29 officers killed in motor vehicle crashes who could have been wearing seat belts, it is known that 8 were wearing them and 15 were not. One of the officers not wearing a seat belt was seated in a stationary vehicle at the time of the collision.

Nine officers were killed accidentally when struck by vehicles.

To provide more timely data, the FBI has released this portion of its report now, and will release the remaining information, covering law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty in 2018, later in the year.