U.S. attorneys will begin meeting with local law enforcement officials around the country to reduce a spike in duty deaths Attorney General Eric Holder called "simply unacceptable" on Tuesday.
Duty deaths have spiked in 2011 with a 20% increase through March 22 compared to 2010. So far in 2011, 49 officers have died in the line of duty, according to preliminary data from NLEOMF. The spike in duty deaths began in 2010 after a two-year decline. There were 162 LODDs, 45 more than 2009.