Newsflash from the most dangerous city in the country: 56 on-duty law enforcement officers were killed during felonious acts in 2010, and not one of those killings occurred in St. Louis.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation yesterday published its annual report tracking the number of such deaths in America. The news was not good; across the country last year, 56 cop killings were linked to felony crimes, up from 48 in 2009. Narratives behind each death can be found here.
The report also cited 72 instances of officers who died in accidents while performing their duties -- up from 48 the previous year. Though the FBI does not list the names of these fallen officers, four fatal on-duty accidents occurred in Missouri, and at least one occurred in St. Louis: On March 24, 2010, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Officer David Haynes died after sustaining injuries caused by a car crash during the pursuit of a burglar down South Kingshighway. Haynes was one of 45 officers who died as a result of an on-duty car accident last year.
Next year, St. Louis will claim at least one fallen officer on the FBI's killed-in-action list: On March 8, a suspected drug dealer fatally shot U.S. Marshal John Perry in Dutchtown.
