Descriptive Epidemiology of Females Killed by Law Enforcement Officers, 2013–2020

This study explores law enforcement officers (LEOs) killing of females, including the characteristics of those most likely to be killed, method used to fatally injure females, the geographic distribution of the killings, the number of years of potential life lost before age 80 (YPLL80). Data from the Web-based Inquiry Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were analyzed for deceased females from 2013 to 2020. The females killed were ∼5% of LEOs killings each year for a total of 233 deaths. The females killed ranged in age from 1 to 72 years. A majority (82.8%) were killed in metropolitan areas, and a plurality (44.6%) were killed in the South. There was a statistically significant increase in the rate of female deaths over the 8-year span. The majority (58.8%) of females killed were non-Hispanic whites. A total of almost 10,000 years of potential life were lost before age 80. The greatest number of YPLL80 were non-Hispanic whites, in metropolitan areas, ages 20–39 years, residing in the South. Transforming weapon use by law enforcement is possible through policy changes (e.g., hiring and training) and education of the public (e.g., interacting with LEOs and appropriate funding of law enforcement).