# disaster
A record number of law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2021, most of them from COVID-19, according to a report Wednesday from the National Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
There were 458 law enforcement officer deaths in 2021, a 55 percent increase from 2020, the report said. In 2020, 295 federal, state, local and tribal officials were killed in the line of duty. The closest record for 2021 was in 1930, when 312 law enforcement officers died.
The vast majority of the deaths - 301 - were caused by COVID-19, which was the leading cause of work-related death for the second year in a row, the report said. The vaccination status of the 301 dead police officers is unclear. Customs and Border Patrol agent David Ramirez is among those who have died due to complications from COVID-19. Ramirez, a father of three, was assigned to the Department's Intelligence Division/Joint California Forensic Center in San Diego, according to Customs and Border Protection.