The death of Weymouth Police Officer Michael Chesna on Sunday is a stark reminder of the dangers police face on a day-to-day basis. In Massachusetts and nationwide, gunfire kills more officers than any other cause.
Two nonprofit officer memorial groups, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and the Officer Down Memorial Page, track officer fatalities going back more than two centuries.
Going back to 1791, they have confirmed 127 police officers in Massachusetts killed by gunfire.
The number of officers killed on duty nationwide, while varying widely year to year, has trended lower over the last 40 years, according to a 2017 report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Fund.
The recent high was 203 officers killed in 2007. Last year, 129 officers died in the line of duty.
For more information, visit
Officer Down Memorial Page or National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
