For two straight years, the top killer of law enforcement officers isn’t directly related to criminal activity.
Of the 226 officers killed in the line of duty in 2022, 70 died of COVID-19 infections, according to a report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which tracks such numbers.
Both figures marked a dramatic drop-off from the 586 officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 — 405 from COVID-19-related causes.
The downturn was likely due to reduced infection rates and the broad availability and use of vaccinations, the NLEOMF report said.
Nevertheless, it does little to douse the pain and grief for survivors of the fallen officers.
That was evident during a short ceremony in Iola Tuesday, co-hosted by the Freemasons Justice Lodge and the Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) organization.
The occasion was to announce that Elizabeth Donnelly, widow of the late David Ingle, and Iola officers David Shelby and Dalton Houk will travel to Washington, D.C., in May for National Police Week.
Ingle died of COVID-related causes in January 2022.
Donnelly, Shelby and Houk will be in Washington to see Ingle’s name added to the Memorial Wall, which recognizes all fallen law enforcement personnel from across the country.
On top of the memorial services — one of which will be in front of the U.S. Capitol; the other on the National Mall — the Iolans will be invited to take part in a series of seminars and workshops tailored to helping grieving survivors.
“The memorial services are very powerful,” said Dana Evans, a COPS midwest region trustee. “But the two days in between, from my point of view as a survivor, are the most important for our families and our coworkers.”
Donnelly’s trip is funded through a donation from COPS.
“We try to make it so there is no money out of pocket, so people won’t have to worry about their finances to be able to go,” Evans explained.
But with limited resources, COPS typically only sends surviving spouses or children — just a fragment of those affected when an officer dies.
That’s where the Justice Lodge comes in.
