National Police Week
Visit PoliceWeek.org, the National FOP Memorial Committee's web site.|
National Memorial Service Honors 136 Fallen Officers The weeklong activities of the 28th National Peace Officers' Memorial Week ended on May 15 with a service honoring the 136 law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty during 2008. Attorney General Eric Holder joined the National FOP Executive Board and other dignitaries to pay homage to the fallen heroes and to offer words of comfort to their surviving family members in attendance. A medal of honor was presented to each of the families. After the national anthem was sung by R&B singer Patti LaBelle, FOP National President Chuck Canterbury opened the program. In his remarks, President Canterbury said, "Our recognition of fellow officers is filled with ritual, tradition and heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for their sacrifices." He added that "The Law Enforcement community works very hard to recognize, support and protect the families of our fallen heroes." AG Holder paid tribute to the fallen with his remarks: "It is right, therefore, that we take time every year to pause and remember the brave men and women in blue who work tirelessly to serve our communities and protect the bedrock freedoms that make our nation great. "It is right to pause and recognize their amazing acts of heroism, their bravery in the line of fire, their selfless service amidst diminishing resources and ever increasing demands. "But most of all, it is right to stop and pay solemn tribute to those fallen heroes who have given their lives, who have given that last measure of devotion in service to a grateful nation." At the end of the service, every family was given the opportunity to place a carnation in the memorial wreath at the base of the capitol. Blue ribbons were held high in rememberance and tears were shed. However, AG Holder offered the families solace with: "These memorial events are solemn, to be sure, and rightly so. But they are also a time to rejoice—to rejoice in the bright light of the lives we honor today and in the unfailing valor of those who carry their work forward." |
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Proclamation Signed by President John F. Kennedy To pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and to voice our appreciation for all those who currently serve on the front lines of the battle against crime, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962 (75 Stat.676), has authorized and requested the President to designate May 15 of each year as "Peace Officers Memorial Day," and the week in which it falls as "Police Week" and by Public Law 103-322 (36 U.S.C. 175) has requested that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers' Memorial Day. |
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2009 National Peace Officers' Memorial Service now available on DVD Order Form |