COVID Becomes the No. 1 Cop Killer in Florida: More Police Officers Died From Virus Than Gunfire in Last 2 Years
Miami Beach Police escort people off Ocean Drive as curfew is in effect in Miami Beach, Florida, on March 27, 2021. - Worries about renewed Covid-19 outbreaks prompted Miami officials to enact a nighttime curfew following an infusion of rowdy "spring breakers" that have frustrated locals. CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

COVID-19 is now considered the number one cop killer in Florida, causing more than 85 percent of police fatalities in the state.

According to the Officer Down website, out of the 62 statewide line-of-duty deaths in the past two years, 53 of them were due to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Becomes the No. 1 Cop Killer in Florida

In South Florida, 33 law enforcement officers lost their lives in the line of duty over the past two years. Only three were killed by gunfire, one died in a car crash, and another died due to an injury.

The other 28 police officers died from COVID-19. The deadly virus, which caused a worldwide health crisis, attacked law enforcement officers from West Palm Beach to Miami, WebMD News reported.

The COVID-19 killed several corrections officers and agents of Customs and Border Patrol and took the life of a U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms officer in West Palm Beach.

Executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based national policy group Police Executive Research Forum Chuck Wexler told Orlando Sentinel that more cops would die from COVID-19 than be shot, stabbed, or die in traffic accidents.

"It is the number one killer of police, hands down," he noted. According to the Associated Press, most of the cops who died from COVID were white and Hispanic males in their 40s and 50s.

Based on reports, the Miami-Dade Department of Corrections lost the most number of officers, with seven. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office followed, losing five officers.

There were also three Customs and Border Protection officers assigned at the Miami International Airport who also died due to COVID-related illnesses in a matter of 15 days.

Police Officers in Florida Were Hesitant to Get Vaccinated

President of Miami-Dade's Police Benevolent Association Steadman Stahl told AP that several officers hesitated to get vaccinated against the COVID during the early days of the pandemic.

Stahl did not release the exact figures but based on anecdotal reports, he said around 60 percent of the force had already received their COVID-19 jabs. He noted that the younger population of the force were more scared of getting their vaccines because of the fear of the unknown.

However, the current chairman for Miami-Dade Chiefs of Police COVID-19 committee and former Miami police commander Dave Magnusson expressed doubts about the said percentage of vaccination.

Magnusson noted that he has doubts that even half of the police force in South Florida have received vaccines since many cops think "they're invincible."

According to reports, the vaccines' availability does not also appear to reduce the number of fatal infections in the state.

It was reported that out of the 28 officers in South Florida who died from COVID-19 complications in the past two years, 18 died after the vaccines were made widely available.

The latest data showed that around 542 law enforcement officers nationwide have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of 2020.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: COVID-19 Is Now The Leading Cause Of Death Among U.S. Police - From TODAY