The Federal Bureau of Investigations released information of law enforcement officers killed and assaulted in 2010.

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Last year, a total of 56 officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty, 72 officers died in accidents while performing their duties, and 53,469 officers were assaulted, according to the report.

The 56 felonious deaths occurred in 22 states and Puerto Rico. This number increased by eight from 2009.

The average age of officers feloniously killed was 38. All but two deaths were male. Forty-eight percent of the officers were white, seven percent were black and one was Asian/Pacific Islander.

Of those feloniously killed, 15 were ambushed, 14 were involved in arrest situations, eight were investigating suspicious persons, seven were performing traffic stops, six were answering disturbance calls, three were involved in tactical situations, two were conducting investigative activity such as surveillance, searches, etc., and one officer was killed while maintaining custody of prisoners.

Firearms were used to kill 55 of the 56 officers. One officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.

Twenty-two of the deaths occurred in the South, 18 in the West, 10 in the Midwest and three in the Northeast. Three deaths also took place in Puerto Rico.

Automobile accidents were the main cause for accidental deaths, claiming the lives of 45 officers. Line-of-duty deaths were up 24 from the 2009 total of 48 officers.

Finally, of the 53,469 officers assaulted, 26.1 percent suffered injuries. Officers sustained injuries the most when responding to disturbance calls, like domestic incidents or bar fights.