More police across the country have died in the line of duty from COVID-19 complications than any other cause, data shows.
At least 111 officers from police departments, sheriff’s offices and corrections departments have died after contracting the coronavirus while on the job, according to two law enforcement nonprofits that have tracked line-of-duty deaths for years.
That’s 76 more than the 34 cops who died from shootings this year as of Thursday, according to the Nation Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
The tally of police COVID-19 fatalities is likely an undercount, as the memorial wall for officers only includes three of the eight uniformed NYPD members who died from complications of the pandemic virus.
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 members of the NYPD died from the virus as of late May, when the department last released public figures.
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 without a mask.
At least 183 police officers nationwide have died while on duty so far in 2020, which is down by roughly 20 from the same time period last year, according to the Officer Down Memorial.
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, according to the site’s count.