Gunfire deaths of law enforcement personnel in the line of duty have increased 50 percent this year, according to nationwide statistics compiled on the Officer Down Memorial Page.
The 42nd death occurred Wednesday in Lancaster, where Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Owen was fatally shot while responding to a burglary call.
The increase in gunfire deaths stands in stark contrast to the trend for deaths due to all causes, which has actually decreased by three percent, according to the ODMP site.
Throughout California, five law enforcement officers have died this year, a number higher than in all but two other states where there were mass killings in which gunmen specifically targeted police.
In Dallas in July, during a demonstration against police shootings, sniper fire mortally wounded five officers.
Before gunman Micah Johnson was killed, he spoke of wanting to kill police officers, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
Later that month in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, six officers were shot as they responded to a call, three of them fatally. In all in Louisiana the ODMP counts eight law enforcement deaths, and in Texas, 17.
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Among many law enforcement personnel, there is a sense that their job has become more difficult and more dangerous in recent years, a time when law enforcement use of force has come under increasing scrutiny, and police have been harshly denounced during protests that have received extensive media coverage.
A co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, Melina Abdullah, said Thursday it is committed to nonviolence.
Law enforcement supervisors stress officer safety to field personnel, because "more people are trying to hurt them," said Lt. Brian Moriguchi of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Moriguchi currently serves as president of the LA County Professional Peace Officers Association, which represents Sheriff's sergeants, lieutenants, and other personnel.
Moriguchi spoke of his admiration for Owen, with whom he had worked when Moriguchi was also assigned to the Lancaster station. Moriguchi described Owen as not only "hardcharging" and a "cop's cop," but committed to helping his community by working with youth, and even helping to rehabilitate offenders he encountered.
"Steve died as he lived, serving the community. That is why we are coming together as a community to support Steve's family," said Moriguchi.
The PPOA's Star and Shield Foundation has set up a gofundme page to raise funds for Owen's family.
Within the first five hours, $6,770 had already been pledged.
