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Covid-19 the biggest US cop killer in 2020

At least 111 officers have died after contracting the virus while on the job, 76 more than the 34 cops who died from shootings so far this year.

Staff Writers
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At least 183 police officers in the US have died while on duty so far in 2020. Photo: Pexels
At least 183 police officers in the US have died while on duty so far in 2020. Photo: Pexels

More police officers across the US have died from Covid-19 complications than any other cause.

At least 111 officers from law enforcement organisations have died after contracting the virus while on the job, reports the New York Post.

That’s 76 more than the 34 cops who died from shootings so far this year according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

In June, the New York Police Department (NYPD) chief of transportation became the department’s highest-ranking member to succumb to the coronavirus.

Thousands of members of the NYPD, civilian and uniformed, contracted the disease as the potentially deadly bug rapidly spread through the ranks. At least 48 have died as a result.

The city’s police force, though, was often spotted flouting official directives to wear face masks to help stop the spread.

Even the highest-ranking uniformed officer, Chief of Department Terence Monahan, was spotted by Post reporters at the height of the pandemic shaking hands and not wearing a mask.

At least 183 police officers nationwide have died while on duty so far in 2020, down by roughly 20 on the same time period last year, according to the Officer Down Memorial site.

The site reports 37 officers were killed in vehicle accidents and three by 9/11-related cancer.

Texas has seen the most fatalities with 42 officers dead.