Oregon Public Broadcasting

A sheriff's officer shot in an ambush by a drunken man near Tacoma, Washington has died after being taken off life support.

Deputy Kent Mundell suffered life-threatening injuries and had been hospitalized since the shooting a week ago.

The shootings marked the third time in less than eight weeks that police officers in Washington State have been shot in the line of duty.

More police officers nationwide were killed by gunfire in 2009, compared to the previous year. Fatal officer shootings increased nearly 26 percent this year. That's according to an annual report released Tuesday by two non-profit groups that track officer fatalities. KUOW's Liz Jones reports from Seattle.

Craig Floyd heads the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. It's one of the organizations behind the report. He says the increase is mainly due to more shootings targeted at multiple officers -- like the murder of four Lakewood, WA police officers last month.

Craig Floyd: "This is evidence, I think, of a more cold-blooded criminal element in our society than law enforcement has ever had to deal with. Thankfully we're doing more to protect them: better training, better equipment. But still, the threats to our police officers have never been greater."

Floyd wants to see more police officers wear bullet proof vests. He says vests save thousands of lives every year.

He also wants states to pass tougher laws to prevent violent, repeat offenders from obtaining early release from jail.

Washington State representative Mike Hope has introduced such a bill. His legislation would make it more difficult for suspects facing a life sentence to bail out of jail before trial. 

Hope is also a Seattle Police Officer. He agrees with Floyd that officers need to take extra precautions. He says the recent spate of police murders has changed his routines.

Mike Hope: "I don't go to coffee shops. I don't sit there long enough. I don't go to restaurants and take my lunch break there. I get my food, I get my coffee. I take it somewhere else, away from view so something like that couldn't happen. And I know there are several officers in our department and other departments that I spoke to that are doing the same thing."

According the report, 48 police officers across the country were killed by gunfire last year, including six in Washington. That's up from 2 deaths in 2008.

Among the fatalities was Seattle police officer Tim Brenton, who was fatally shot while he sat in his patrol car on Halloween.

Still, the leading cause of officer fatalities on the job is traffic accidents.

Floyd says drivers can help prevent some of those deaths.

Craig Floyd: "Move over and slow down when you come upon an officer on the side of the roadway, at a traffic stop, at an accident scene, helping a stranded motorist. Those officers are at great risk."

Floyd says 56 officers were killed in traffic accidents last year. Twelve of those officers were hit by moving vehicles while they were on the side of the roadway.

Overall, officer deaths across the country are down 5 percent from last year.