The 10 Most Dangerous States to be a Cop

Published on December 5, 2014 at 8:17 am by Isabel Rollandi in Lists

Have you ever wondered which are the most dangerous states to be a cop? Being a police officer is known to be a hard and dangerous job. Police men and women are constantly in contact with drug addicts, drunks and mentally disabled people, and of course all manner of criminals; from mere pickpockets, to those involved in organized crime. Furthermore, being a member of the police force can certainly be stressful, as they find themselves coping with delicate circumstances daily.

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Yet, being a police officer is not among the most dangerous professions in the United States. According to a report from 900,000 sworn officers in 2013, 100 were killed from a job-related injury. Believe it or not, being a lumberjack has a fatality rate 11 times higher than being a policeman in the U. S, with 127.8 deaths per 100,000 workers. Moreover, only one third of the deaths among the law enforcement officers was work-related, while about half of the fatalities resulted from traffic accidents.

Indeed, being a cop implies several risks, and depending on the city or state’s crime rate and particular hazards, the chances of facing perils increase. Taking a look at our list on The 12 Most Dangerous Cities In America we can see that some of the most violent cities in America have above 20 murders for every 100,000 residents. States like Pennsylvania and Mississippi have some of the most dangerous cities in America.

And the dangers towards police officers appear to have increased over the past years. According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), total fatalities have increased over the past year. Comparing total fatalities from 2013 (January 1 – December 3, 2013 and January 1 – December 3, 2014), there has been an increase of 28%, with firearms-related deaths rising even higher, increasing by 70%.

Now then, which are the most dangerous states to be a cop? Taking into account the report produced by the Census Bureau (Annual Survey of Public Employment and Payroll) and NLEOMF, we’ve compiled a list that features the average of deaths per every 5,000 police officers by state. Check out our list and find out where the ten most dangerous states to be a cop in America are.