Few States More Dangerous than Missouri for Police Officers

It should be obvious to everyone that it's not easy to be a police officer no matter where you are serving. However, few states are more dangerous than Missouri if you work in law enforcement sadly.

Full disclosure: I come from a family of law enforcement officers while admittedly some ancestors were outlaws (looking at you, John Henry). Several friends and family have served as deputies and sheriffs, so I have a heart for those who risk their lives every day.

24/7 Wall St just dropped a new ranking today regarding which states are the most dangerous for law enforcement and, sadly, Missouri is near the top of the bad list. Check out these numbers:

• Law enforcement officers killed on-duty, 2013-2022: 18.6 per 10,000 police officers (22 total)
• Officers killed feloniously, 2013-2022: 13 (59.1% of fatalities in state)
• Officers killed accidentally, 2013-2022: 9 (40.9% of fatalities in state)
• Deadliest year(s) for law enforcement from 2013-2022: 2020, 2022 (4 fatalities each year year)

That is a horrible result for any state and it saddens my heart that so many Missouri police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Those I have known that have been police officers or still are have shared with me that there's a bit of trepidation with every traffic stop. You never know when you're gonna end up in a life or death situation if the suspect you're dealing with becomes desperate or does something ridiculous.

Overall, Missouri is the 16th most dangerous state for law enforcement officers and I can't help but think that we can do so much better than this.