The FBI says the number of police officers killed in the line of duty decreased in 2015 from the year before.
In an annual report released Tuesday, the FBI said 41 officers died last year as a result of criminal acts. That's down from the 2014 figure of 51.
More than half of the officers killed were on vehicle patrol when they died, and most were killed with firearms.
The report also says that more than 50,000 officers were assaulted last year while performing their duties.
It's too early to know what the 2016 tally will be, but there have already been a series of high-profile police deaths this year, including five officers in Dallas slain by a sniper over the summer.
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