"It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived."
-Vivian Eney Cross, Survivor
Each May during National Police Week the nation pauses to recognize the service and sacrifice of U.S. law enforcement. National Police Week concludes today, May 21, 2011. Photos from the National Candlelight Vigil can be seen here.
Established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy and a joint resolution of Congress, National Police Week pays special tribute to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. Ceremonies are held in Washington, DC, and in communities across the country. During the ceremonies in Washington, DC, the names of those peace officers killed in the line of duty will be enrolled onto the National Memorial.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is the nation’s monument to law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. Dedicated on October 15, 1991, the Memorial honors federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the safety and protection of our nation and its people.
The Memorial features two curving, 304-foot-long blue-gray marble walls. Carved on these walls are the names of more than 18,600 officers who have been killed in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the first known death in 1792. Unlike many other memorials in Washington, DC, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is ever-changing: new names of fallen officers are added to the monument each spring, in conjunction with National Police Week.
For more information about the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Fund and Police Week, please visit NLEOMF and NLEOMF Police Week.
California honored its fallen officers on May 1st and 2nd. Their names can be read here and photos from prior ceremonies can be found here. The Sacramento Bee has posted a gallery of this year’s ceremony. For more information about the California Peace Officers’ Memorial, please visit their website.