2012 is on pace to be the safest year for police officers in 60 years, say preliminary figures from The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported by PoliceOne.com. Data accounting for deaths from April 2011 to April 2012 show that officer fatalities this year are 44 percent lower than the previous 12-month period, with firearms- and traffic-related deaths dropping 51 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
The rate hasn't been that low since 1944, when there were fewer working as police officers. Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Texas have seen the highest number of fatalities — three each in 2012.