Washington, DC - Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, released the following statement regarding the National FOP’s June report on officers shot and killed in the line of duty:

“A police officer has been shot almost every day in the first half of 2026. This sad fact has not changed in a decade.

“Only 15 officers shot in the line of duty were killed so far this year—a fact we attribute to continuing improvements in medical trauma science and anti-ballistic technology. If this trend continues, it will be a historic low.

“And yet, to date, 169 officers have been shot in the line of duty, an increase from this time last year. Thirty-six of these officers were shot in an ambush-style attacks, 6 of whom were killed, so violence against law enforcement officers continues to increase, even as the lethality of those attacks declines.

“This is not just data or a number-crunching exercise. We must remember that they are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. This scale of violence against our officers, while lower than in past years, is still a great danger to our men and women in uniform. It is no wonder that our profession continues to face a recruitment and retention crisis.

“For years now, we have urged Congress to pass the ‘Protect and Serve Act,’ which would address the national problem of ambushes and unprovoked attacks on our nation's law enforcement officers. And for years now, including the first half of 2026, the number of officers shot has been too high.

“We now have years of hard data, and the facts are undeniable: too many officers are being targeted and paying for their service with their lives. Our elected officials and community leaders must speak out and support these heroes because the current status quo is unacceptable.”