MOULTRIE, Ga. — Law enforcement officers know that their jobs can be dangerous, particularly when wading into a domestic dispute — reportedly the type of call that resulted in the fatal shooting of one police officer and wounding of a second on Wednesday.

For police, 2016 has been a particularly hard year in terms of attacks on officers. On July 7 five officers were killed by a gunman in Dallas in the deadliest day for law enforcement since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Through Nov. 29 135 officers had died in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Nearly half of those — 60 — were from gunfire, while 23 occurred in car accidents and 12 were the result of an assault with a vehicle.

It identified 130 officers who died in the line of duty in 2015. In 2014, when 146 officers died on duty, 48 deaths were the result of gunfire; 16 deaths that year were related to illness that resulted from the 9-11 attacks.

Seven of the 2016 deaths have occurred in Georgia, with the organization adding Americus Police Department officer Nicholas Smarr, on Wednesday. Police identified the second officer shot as a Southwestern State University employee.

“The Moultrie Police Department … our thoughts and prayers go out to our brothers and sisters in the Americus area,” said Maj. Tonero Bender, an investigator with the MPD. “In this particular time, it’s too close to home.”

Bender and Colquitt County Sheriff’s Capt. Nate French said that there is no magic formula to make officers’ jobs safer other than being alert at all times.

“We’re really just doing what we do,” Bender said. “Stay vigilant, just keep our guard up.

“Still, one of the most dangerous calls we can respond to is a domestic dispute. We try to send two officers to most calls, especially high-priority calls. Domestic disputes is an incident where it would be typical for more than one officer to respond.”

French, who oversees patrol officers, said he encourages them to get as much information as they can get when dispatched to a call so they are aware of the situation they will find. Media reports from Wednesday’s shooting stated the officers did not know who was involved in the domestic dispute, a man wanted on felony warrants from an earlier domestic incident.

Another particularly dangerous police activity is a traffic stop, and the same basic rule applies: Gather as much information from the car, such as number of occupants, tag number and other information, to pass on to the 911 operator.

“If you feel uncomfortable with it, let it go” in a traffic violation situation, or call for backup before making the traffic stop, he said. “Stay in your car until you get backup. Don’t let your guard down. Stay alert.”

Deputies also are advised to ask for help when dealing with domestic disputes, French said.

“On domestics, we do go two (officers), two or three,” he said. “That’s how serious it is. You never know. You go to help this young lady, and she can turn on you.”

In July, Valdosta officer Randall Hancock was shot while answering a call at an apartment complex. Hancock survived after his protective vest took the brunt of two shots and one went underneath it and into his abdomen.

The accused 22-year-old assailant, who made the call for assistance, told police that he was depressed and wanted to be killed by police.

“It’s a sad thing,” French said of Wednesday’s shootings in Americus. “It’s just sad this has taken place.”