FBI: 72 police officers killed in the line of duty last year, up from 56

(CBS/AP) Seventy-two law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the U.S. and Puerto Rico in 2011, the FBI reports. That's up from 56 the previous year.

The Bureau says a majority of the 72 fatalities occurred while an officer was making an arrest. All but three of the slain officers were males.

The FBI also says the average age of officers killed in the line of duty last year was 38.

The report says 29 police officers were killed in the line of duty in the South, 21 in the Midwest, 10 in the West, and 10 in the Northeast. Two were killed in Puerto Rico.

The agency also reports that 53 police officers died in accidents in 2011, and 54,774 officers were assaulted while in the line of duty.