News release: “The number of U.S. law enforcement fatalities spiked by 37 percent in 2010—an alarming increase that follows two years of declining deaths among our nation’s policing professionals. A total of 160 federal, state and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 12 months, according to preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). This represents a dramatic increase over the 117 officer fatalities in 2009, which marked a 50-year low.”