How many police officers were hurt during the jan 6 insurrection
Executive summary
Multiple contemporaneous and later reports converge on a figure of roughly 140 law enforcement officers injured during the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, though available counts vary by source and by the narrowness of the definition used; authoritative summaries most often cite 138 officers (73 U.S. Capitol Police and 65 Metropolitan Police) or describe “about” or “more than 140” officers wounded [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. The headline numbers: 138 versus “about 140”
A commonly referenced detailed breakdown lists 138 injured officers — 73 from the U.S. Capitol Police and 65 from the Metropolitan Police — with 15 of those hospitalized, a figure reported in law-enforcement-focused compilations and encyclopedic coverage [1], while multiple mainstream news outlets and organizations describe the toll as “about 140” or “more than 140” law enforcement officers injured in the fighting that day [2] [3] [4].
2. Why sources give different totals — timing, agency, and inclusion criteria
Differences stem from when each count was compiled, which agencies were included, and whether later line-of-duty determinations and subsequent injuries or medical attributions were folded in; for example, a Department of Homeland Security report excerpt referenced a preliminary local count of 14 Metro officers injured early in reporting [5], while union statements and later reporting captured a broader total that included Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police and chronicled additional injuries identified after immediate triage [6] [1].
3. Severity and types of injuries documented
Reporting and union statements enumerate injuries ranging from concussions, cracked ribs, spinal injuries and lost eyes to traumatic brain injury and burns, with some officers requiring hospitalization and long-term care — accounts that underpin the “some gravely” wounded phrasing used by outlets such as AP and PBS [1] [4] [3]. Congressional and investigative records also highlight individual catastrophic cases and long-term consequences for responding officers [7] [1].
4. Deaths and subsequent line-of-duty determinations
Five people connected to the riot died in its immediate aftermath or later, and multiple reporting identifies five law-enforcement deaths tied to Jan. 6 in the broader aftermath — none were killed at the scene — including the death of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and several officers who later died by suicide; fact-checking and investigative reporting lay out that those officer deaths occurred after the event and involved subsequent medical or administrative determinations about line-of-duty status [8] [2] [1].
5. The Justice Department and other officials: “likely more injured than officially reported”
Senior prosecutors and DOJ statements have suggested the true number of injured officers may exceed publicly released totals because injuries became evident only after the event and because not every officer’s harm has been or could be fully catalogued; these cautions underscore that public figures like “138” or “about 140” are best understood as minimums based on the records compiled to date [9].
6. How to responsibly characterize “how many officers were hurt”
Given the multiple, credible sources that converge on a figure near 140 but use different qualifiers, the most accurate, defensible phrasing is that roughly 140 law-enforcement officers were injured on January 6, with specific tallies recorded as 138 in some official breakdowns and numerous outlets and unions describing “more than 140” injured — all of which reflects both immediate battlefield reporting and later medical and administrative updates [1] [2] [3] [4].