.gif)
COLUMBUS – In memory of the fallen and in honor of the Peace Officers and Law Enforcement Officials of Colorado County, a Peace Officer Memorial Day tribute was held on the Courthouse lawn on Monday, May 15.
Law Enforcement officials read the names of fallen officers while Taps were played. The names of the fallen officers that were read aloud are listed on the memorial monument. Pastor Victor Morrison gave an invocation. At the conclusion of the tribute, Colorado County Judge Ty Prause thanked law enforcement officials for their service.
Courthouse officials say the first Peace Officer Memorial ceremony was held at the Courthouse on May 19, 2011. The Eagle Scout Troop 312 started the Peace Officer Memorial as a part of a project after researching how to have a monument placed at the Courthouse. A committee as well as schools in the county were involved with the design of the monument, which is the shape of Colorado County.
May 15 has been designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week since 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation recognizing this day. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, D.C. to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to the nation’s capital each year.
