'The tone, tenor, the rhetoric about law enforcement has changed pretty dramatically over the last six months': Bill Alexander discusses the 50% drop in officer deaths with VOZ

On April 29, 1786, Sheriff Benjamin Branch died when he fell from his horse. He was 54 years old, serving Chesterfield County, Virginia. His name, face and rank are inscribed in the archives of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), which commemorates the more than 24,000 men and women killed in the line of duty since then.

Although month by month the list continues to grow - the ideal goal, experts say, is a possible but unlikely zero - so far this year the pace of deaths has slowed by more than half. Data from the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP) released in recent days reveals that the number plummeted 51% between January and July compared to the same period last year.

With 10 deaths in July, the figure for this first half of 2025 reached 50. The latest was Didarul Islam: at 36 years old, with three years and six months of service behind him, he was one of four killed during a mass shooting in an office building in Midtown Manhattan, New York. Islam had two children and was expecting a third. The other agents downed that month were, according to ODMP:

Decrease in numbers of officers killed on duty

The NLEOMF mid-year report also reflects a downward trend. If between January and June 2024 there were 89 deaths, in 2025 there were 42 – 53% fewer.

The report breaks down the reasons for death, with the umbrella of "other causes" being the one with the largest decrease. The category is broad: from deaths due to the aftermath of 9/11 to extreme stress events in the line of duty.

It includes Jonathan J. Campos, a flight deck officer aboard the passenger jet that collided at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport. As well as Felicia D. Reilly, who was attacked, punched and kicked in the head, by the son of an elderly couple she approached to assist. The injuries forced her to retreat from the force, then caused her death.

"Traffic-related" deaths plummeted 50%, according to NLEOMF. While fatal crash deaths dropped 59%, hit-and-run deaths fell 33%.

Those "firearm-related" fell 21%. The deadliest situations were arrests and investigations of suspicious persons or activities, claiming five lives each. They were followed by traffic controls and domestic disturbances. Thus died, for example, Joseph Azcona, shot in Newark, New Jersey. Five juveniles were arrested, the alleged killer is 14 years old.

Possible causes

"The tone, tenor, the rhetoric, the conversation about law enforcement over the last six months has changed pretty dramatically," contends NLEOMF president Bill Alexander, when asked by VOZ about possible causes for the improvement.

The former agent, who retired three years ago, assures that the "complete tonal shift in messaging" about the police would have increased its credibility and led to a change in the public. Although he does not specify a specific message, he alludes in general to the government's support for the security forces.

He recalls that "the messaging around and about law enforcement over at least the last five years has been largely negative," such as those from the Defund The Police movement. "I think that that messaging has resonated with some number of the population and influence behaviors sort of on the tail of police public encounters which have made it more dangerous for police officers."

Alexander himself reveals having felt "somewhat despondent" by the "public's overall support for law enforcement" during his time in uniform. It was right "in the height" of "really down and negative" criticism from elected officials and journalists, he says.

"Blaming law enforcement for all things bad in the world, or blaming law enforcement for any encounter where the officers were forced to use force or forced to defend themselves… no matter what they did. "Almost encouraging members of the public to sort of fight or push back against or not obey the police officers on the scene of an incident or a crime."

Another factor that, he says, may have contributed to the decline in on-duty deaths is the work of organizations like his, which "try to come up with best training practices, best protocols, best practices to make it as safe as possible for the men and women doing this very dangerous work."

The International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Police Executive Research Forum, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Fraternal Order of Police.... "There are dozens of major law enforcement networks."

Alexander accompanies those possible causes with a caveat: "The first six months of this year are something of an anomaly." There was no "dramatic" reduction in violent crime, nor was there a "dramatic" change in conditions on the streets. "I think the job is just as dangerous for men and women out on the streets as it has been over the last couple of years."

Whether the improvement in the first half of the year extends into the second half, and even beyond, remains to be seen.