Fallen Law Enforcement Officers to be Honored May 13 During 20th Annual Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C.
Attorney General Mukasey to deliver keynote address as 358 names are dedicated on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
WASHINGTON , May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The names of 358 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty - 181 of them during 2007 - will be formally dedicated on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC , on the evening of May 13 , during the 20th Annual Candlelight Vigil.
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey will deliver the keynote address and lead the lighting of candles and reading of the names of the fallen officers. In addition to the 181 officers who died in line of duty during 2007, 177 officers who died in previous years but whose deaths had been lost to history will be dedicated on the Memorial.
2007 was one of the deadliest years for U.S. law enforcement in nearly two decades. The number of officers killed in the line of duty last year increased nearly 20 percent from 2006, when there were 151 officer deaths. Outside of 2001, when 72 officers died on 9/11, the 2007 figure was equal to the highest total since 1989, when there were 196 fatalities.
"The safety of our communities and the freedoms we enjoy as a nation have always come at a price," said Craig W. Floyd , Chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. "In 2007, the price paid by our heroic and dedicated law enforcement officers was especially high, and the loss felt by their loved ones and colleagues was particularly severe. These heroes are honored during National Police Week, and they are always remembered on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial," he added.
Including this year's officers, there are now 18,274 names engraved on the Memorial, representing officers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia , US territories, and federal law enforcement and military police agencies.
WHAT:
20th Annual Candlelight Vigil
Includes laser light show, musical tributes and reading of 358 names being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial
WHEN:
May 13, 2008 - 8 pm Note: because of the large crowd expected at this year's vigil, media representatives are encouraged to arrive and check in by 5 pm .
WHERE:
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial E Street, between 4th and 5th Streets, NW Washington, DC
WHO:
NLEOMF Chairman Craig Floyd
U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey
Other law enforcement leaders
Jean Hill , National President, Concerns of Police Survivors
Dedicated in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush , the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial commemorates the service and sacrifice of America's law enforcement officers. Beginning in 2011, the Memorial will be complemented by the first-ever National Law Enforcement Museum, the largest and most comprehensive museum of its kind to be built adjacent to the Memorial in DC's Judiciary Square.
The names of the 358 fallen officers being added this year to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial are available online at http://www.nleomf.org/TheMemorial/Facts/2008RollCallofFallenOfficers_State.pdf.
CONTACT: Kevin Morison
202-737-7134
SOURCE National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
