President and Law Enforcement Leaders Join FOP in Salute to Fallen Heroes

29th Annual Memorial Service Honors Officers' Sacrifice

WASHINGTON, May 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary will gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to honor the one hundred and twenty-three (123) law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.  The National Peace Officers' Memorial Service is the capstone event of National Police Week, which began this year on 10 May.

Chuck Canterbury, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, will host the event, which will feature a keynote address by the President of the United States, Barack H. Obama II.  Country music star Lee Ann Womack will perform a musical tribute in honor of the fallen officers and their surviving family members, colleagues, and friends who will be in attendance.  

"Every year, the FOP and its extended law enforcement family come together on this day to remember, to reflect, and to honor our fallen heroes," Canterbury said.  "In sharing our grief, we find the strength to renew our commitment to serve and protect our families, our communities, and our nation."

During National Police Week, thousands of law enforcement officers in every region of the nation gather at memorial services to honor their fallen colleagues.  More than 25,000 officers, as well as the surviving family members and friends of slain officers, have traveled to the nation's capital to attend the 29th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, which is the nation's largest and most prominent memorial service held on behalf of fallen law enforcement officers.

In October 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15th as National Peace Officers' Memorial Day.  Since the signing of this proclamation, this date has been the official day of recognition for law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the performance of their duty.  This is the 29th year that the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary have held the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.  

The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States, with more than 327,000 members.

CONTACT: TIM RICHARDSON, (202) 547-8189

SOURCE Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives