A total of 140 police officers died in the line of duty this year. Texas led the nation with 14 officers killed.

In 2007 the number was 181 nationwide.

While it’s sad to think that any law enforcement officer’s life should be lost, the decrease in overall deaths is welcome news after last year’s uncommonly high total.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors released the data Monday.

In another positive development, fewer police officers were killed by gunfire in the United States in 2008 than in any ye...

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