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| Sumpter Township Trustee Don LaPorte presents the officials proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day to Sumpter township Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police Eric Luke. |
A framed proclamation of the designation was presented to Director of Public Safety/ Chief of Police Eric Luke by Trustee Don LaPorte during the regular meeting of the board members. The memorial honors members of law enforcement organizations throughout the country. Peace Officers Memorial Day pays tribute to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. The day honors fallen officers across the nation and offers support to their surviving family members and officers.
The day was first designated by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as part of a week-long National Police Week. In 1994, President Bill Clinton made an amendment through Public Law 103-322 that directed the United States flag to be flown at half-staff on May 15 in honor of the national holiday.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, more than 800,000 law enforcement officers currently serve throughout the United States. Each year, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial adds an average of 163 new names to the wall. Fallen law enforcement officers represent all levels of law enforcement, including local, state, federal, tribal, and military law enforcement. They are family members, husbands, wives, parents, sons, and daughters.
Carved on the marble walls of the national memorial are the names of more than 22,000 officers who've died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history, dating back to the first known death in 1786.
