Law enforcement officers (LEOs) face multiple occupational stressors ranging from traumatic events to long or irregular work hours. These and other hazards encountered in the profession can negatively affect health. However, little is known about the specific levels of all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk among LEOs in the United States.
Researchers with the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT) at Texas State University set out to examine the leading causes of death among this specific group of first responders. The findings, “Mortality among law enforcement officers in the United States: a population-wide analysis of the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance data, 2020–2023,” are published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Americas.
Previous studies suggest that LEOs experience higher mortality from heart disease, cancer, suicide and other causes. Yet most prior research was limited by one or more factors: restricted geographic coverage (such as data from individual departments or states), a narrow focus on specific causes of death or statistics that did not provide both absolute and relative mortality risk. These gaps leave an incomplete picture of the overall mortality burden among LEOs in the U.S.
The ALERRT study conducted the most comprehensive, population-based analysis of mortality among U.S. law enforcement officers to date. Using the National Occupational Mortality Surveillance (NOMS) data from 2020-2023, researchers analyzed more than 2.5 million working-age deaths, including 15,384 law enforcement officers, to estimate all-cause and cause-specific mortality rates compared to the general working-age population.
The ALERRT study confirms and extends prior evidence, showing higher mortality among LEOs from heart disease, cancers, suicide and, during the pandemic years, COVID-19. These results can inform health and wellness programs in law enforcement agencies by helping identify and prioritize the specific causes of death that most contribute to excess mortality among LEOs.
About ALERRT
The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center at TXST is a nationally recognized leader in active shooter response training for law enforcement and first responders. Established in 2002, ALERRT was created to address the need for standardized, research-based active attack response training across the United States. Since its founding, ALERRT has trained more than 350,000 law enforcement officers and first responders nationwide. Designated as the national standard for active shooter response training by the FBI in 2013, ALERRT provides dynamic, scenario-based training courses and cutting-edge research to enhance public safety and improve response strategies during critical incidents. The center also works closely with federal, state and local partners to ensure that first responders are prepared to act swiftly and effectively in life-threatening situations. For more information, visit www.alerrt.org.