Police officers security

FBI data shows sharp increase in number of officers killed on duty

Felonious deaths accounted for 51 of the 96 in-line-of-duty deaths that took place across the country in 2014, according to the data, which also showed that 45 officers died in accidents. More than 48,000 officers were assaulted while on duty.

The 51 felonious deaths represent a sharp uptick in officer deaths from 2013, when 27 officers were killed - the lowest number of such deaths in at least 10 years. The FBI data does not account for what may have caused the increase in officer deaths in 2014, or 2013's drop, even as the 51 felonious deaths follow a general decline in such fatalities across the country in recent years.

The states with the highest number of officer deaths were Texas and California. Florida, New York and Puerto Rico all had the second highest number officers killed, at four each.