Police Deaths Hit 30-Year Low

The number of police officers killed in the line of duty nationwide dropped to a 30-year low in 1996, the National Association of Chiefs of Police reported Tuesday.

Nearly half of the 118 fallen officers were shot.

Morton Feldman, the association’s executive vice president, attributed the decrease to the fact that more violent criminals are being imprisoned longer and that more officers are wearing bulletresistant vests regularly and are receiving increased and better training.

“There is a heightened visibility of law enforcement through community policing and crime overall is down,” he added.