TEXAS — During a year of tragedy, America’s law enforcement experienced one of the worst death tolls in history.

The National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum recently released data on law enforcement deaths for 2020. It was one of the deadliest years with a total of 264 deaths, reported as a 96% increase from 2019. It’s the highest on record since 1974, when 285 officers died.

While causes of deaths ranged from heart attacks to gunshots, COVID-19 was the number one leading cause for line-of-duty deaths. Out of the 264 deaths recorded, 145 were COVID-related.

In Texas, 48 officers died in the line of duty, leading the nation. Texas had some of the highest number of law enforcement deaths that were COVID-related

Only 13 states recorded zero law enforcement deaths, while 26 reported zero COVID-related deaths.