Peace Officers Memorial Day honors 11 fallen Florida officers. DOJ report shows trends
Keeping people safe is a dangerous activity, and law enforcement officers regularly rank in the top ten most dangerous occupations in the United States. On Thursday, May 15, Americans honor the fallen.
Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags across Florida to be flown at half-staff on May 15, Peace Officers Memorial Day, to "pay tribute to those officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the safety and freedoms of Floridians."
Peace Officers Memorial Day was established by President John F. Kennedy, to honor federal, state, and municipal peace officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. The week May 15 falls in is called Police Week.
Every year, the annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service is held at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. The "Roll Call of Heroes for 2025" includes 11 from Florida.
According to the "Roll Call of Heroes for 2025:"
Jeremy Boykins, Sept. 10: West Palm Beach police officer, died after surgery for an ailment.
Elio Diaz, Dec. 15: Charlotte County Sheriff's deputy, shot and killed during a traffic stop.
Ignacio Diaz, Nov. 25: Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy, one of three deputies who died from injuries sustained when an SUV struck them on the shoulder of a road.
Zachary Fink, Feb. 2: Florida Highway Patrol trooper, died in a crash after a 9-minute chase at speeds reaching about 120 mph.
Bradley Link, Aug. 3: Lake County Sheriff's deputy, killed in an ambush that left two other deputies injured.
Bradford McNew, Oct. 12: Jacksonville Corrections Officer, shot and killed as he was intervening in a domestic altercation while off duty.
Luis Paez, Nov. 21: Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy, one of three deputies who died from injuries sustained when an SUV struck them on the shoulder of a road.
Ralph Waller, Nov. 21: Palm Beach County Sheriff's deputy, one of three deputies who died from injuries sustained when an SUV struck them on the shoulder of a road.
In 2024, 64 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed, 46 of them with a firearm, according to a U.S. Department of Justice annual report released on Monday, the first day of Police Week.
The report shows 16 officer deaths in Florida from 2020 to 2024, but includes only deaths voluntarily reported to the FBI and does not include deaths that were not "a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender," such as the car crash that killed three Palm Beach County deputies in November.
Nearly half of the officers feloniously killed in 2024 (28) were in the South, the report said. The most dangerous times for officers were while they were responding to a call or during a traffic stop.
In the DOJ's report, the 64 officers who were feloniously killed in 2024 died during:
Response to unlawful or suspicious activity: 14
Traffic stop: 11
Circumstance unknown / not reported: 7
Follow-up investigation: 7
Tactical situation: 7
Pursuit: 7
Check in with another law enforcement officer: 4
Routine patrol other than traffic stop: 3
Warrant service: 2
Medical, mental health, or welfare assistance: 1
Out of service (court/dining/etc.): 1
More officers were feloniously killed in 2021 (73) than in any other year, the report said, and more officers were feloniously killed from 2021-2024 (258) than in any other four-year period in the last 20 years.
From 2015 to 2024, 274 of the 562 officers feloniously killed were in the South, more than in any other region. The report defines the South as Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Peace Officers Memorial Day honors 11 fallen Florida officers
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