Hickory – A Memorial service honoring law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty will be held at 1:00 PM, Friday, May 18, 2018, at Catawba Memorial Park, located at 3060 Highway 70 SE in Hickory, N.C.
A wreath laying ceremony, playing of bagpipes and Taps, and an honor guard firing a 21-gun salute will be included in the program. Keynote speaker will be R. Andrew Murray, United States Attorney, Western District of North Carolina.
The yearly event coincides with National Police Week and is sponsored by the Catawba County Fraternal Order of Police (FOP). In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week, meaning that National Police Week 2018 will be Sunday, May 13th through Saturday, May 19th. Members of the national and state FOP will be in Washington, DC, for the national ceremonies.
On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 53 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 19,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. In 2017, 135 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the U.S. In addition, there were 24 K9 line of duty deaths.
For more information, call the FOP Office at 828-695-1704.
Photo: Catawba County FOP Law Enforcement Memorial Monument at Catawba Memorial Park.
