Peace Officers Memorial Day
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week is an observance in the United States that pays tribute to the local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. The Memorial takes place on May 15, and Police Week is the calendar week in which the Memorial falls.
The holiday was created on 1 October 1961 when Congress asked the president to designate 15 May to honor law enforcement officers. John F. Kennedy signed the bill into law on October 1, 1962. According to a proclamation by George W. Bush in 2002, "Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week pay tribute to the local, State, and Federal law enforcement officers who serve and protect us with courage and dedication. These observances also remind us of the ongoing need to be vigilant against all forms of crime, especially to acts of extreme violence and terrorism." Much of the holiday centers around the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington, D.C., whose walls feature the names of the more than 17,000 law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
