http://www.lbnelert.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Screen-shot-2012-04-15-at-10.55.55-AM.pngEVEN AS VIOLENT CRIME FALLS, KILLING OF OFFICERS RISES: As violent crime has decreased across the country, a disturbing trend has emerged: rising numbers of police officers are being killed. According to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 72 officers were killed by perpetrators in 2011, a 25 percent increase from the previous year and a 75 percent increase from 2008. The 2011 deaths were the first time that more officers were killed by suspects than car accidents, according to data compiled by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The number was the highest in nearly two decades, excluding those who died in the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. While a majority of officers were killed in smaller cities, 13 were killed in cities of 250,000 or more.