In honor of National Police Week, acting United States attorney Richard G. Frohling of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, along with Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, recognize the service and victim of law enforcement on the federal, state, local, and tribal basis. This year the week will be celebrated from Sunday, May 9th to Saturday, May 15th, 2021.
“This week is a time to honor our law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of our nation,” said Attorney General Garland. “I am constantly inspired by the extraordinary courage and dedication with which law enforcement officers act every day and risk their lives to make our communities safer. To law enforcement agencies and your families, we know that neither a single day nor a single week is enough to recognize your service and your victim. On behalf of the entire Department of Justice, you have our unwavering support and eternal gratitude. “
“Law enforcement officials work tirelessly every day to protect our communities,” said acting US attorney Frohling. “Your job is difficult, dangerous, and too often ungrateful. My colleagues in the US Attorney’s Office and I are grateful every day for the sacrifices of these courageous and dedicated men and women. We honor and remember those who were injured or lost their lives while trying to protect us all. “
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation on Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor police officers for their service and sacrifice. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which falls on May 15 each year, honors law enforcement officers who have been killed or disabled while on duty.
Each year during National Police Week, our nation celebrates the contributions of law enforcement agencies from across the country and recognizes their hard work, dedication, loyalty, and commitment to the safety of our communities. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the courage and unwavering dedication law enforcement officials have to the communities they have sworn to serve.
More than 300 officers are honored during the Heroes’ Appeal, a ceremony coordinated by the Brotherhood of Police (FOP). Based on data submitted and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), nearly 60 percent of law enforcement officers who died on duty nationwide in 2020 succumbed to COVID-19. In Wisconsin, that included Richard Treadwell, the Dane County’s deputy sheriff, who died of COVID-19 in August 2020.
According to statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) program, 46 law enforcement officers died as a result of crime and 47 died in accidents in 2020. LEOKA statistics can be found on the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website.
The names of the 394 fallen officers posted on the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in 2020 will be read on Thursday, May 13, 2021 during a virtual candlelight vigil that will be broadcast live to the public at 8 a.m. : 00 p.m. EDT. Police Week in-person public events, originally scheduled for May, have been postponed to October 13-17, 2021 due to ongoing concerns about COVID-19. A personal event at the candlelight vigil is planned for October 14, 2021.
Those interested in seeing the virtual candlelight vigil on May 13, 2021 can watch it on NLEOMF’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNLEOMF. The FOP’s Roll Call of Heroes can be viewed at www.fop.net. The schedule for virtual police week events in May can be found in the NLEOMF Police Week flyer.
To learn more about National Police Week in-person events scheduled for October, please visit www.policeweek.org.
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