The number of law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2007 rose to 57 from 48 in 2006, according to preliminary statistics released by the FBI on Monday. The deaths are the most since 2004, which also saw 57 felonious deaths.

More than half the victim officers — 31 — were killed in the South, according to the FBI. Though the FBI does not specifically examine why certain regions have higher numbers of crime than others for the purpose of this report, the South may see more violent crime and in turn more felonious officer deaths because it possesses the highest aggregate population, said Nancy Carnes, a writer and editor with the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting.

The trend is troubling, especially because felonious deaths had been declining from 142 in 2001, said Kevin Morison, communications director for the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, which remembers and honors the nation’s law enforcement officers.

“I think 2007 was unfortunately a dangerous and deadly year for law enforcement in the United States,” he said.

See tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press for complete details.

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