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When is Peace Officers Memorial Day?

May 15th is Peace Officers Memorial Day.

What is Peace Officers Memorial Day?

Most of us Americans don’t have to look over our shoulder as we walk down the street. That gift of safety leaves us free to think of other things, and we have courageous police officers to thank for this freedom. Peace Officers Memorial Day honors the law enforcement officers who paid with their lives to create peaceful city streets.

The week that includes Peace Officers Memorial Day is Police Week. Tens of thousands of people converge on Washington D.C. to attend memorial events. Many also visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall, which bears the names of over 21,000 American peace officers killed in the line of duty.

The men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our safety deserve our thanks, and Peace Officers Memorial Day gives our nation a chance to express that gratitude together.

Fun facts about Peace Officers Memorial Day!

  • About 25,000 to 40,000 people attend Police Week events in Washington D.C.
  • More than 900,000 police officers served during 2018.
  • The deadliest decade for the U.S. police force was the 1920s, when 248 police officers on average died every year. In the ‘90s, the number of police deaths dropped down to an average of 162 officers per year.
  • According to the Supreme Court, the only appropriate gauge of a police officer’s use of force is whether other officers with the same training and the same facts in front of them agree that such force was reasonable.

How to celebrate Peace Officers Memorial Day:

  • Travel to Washington D.C. to attend the National Peach Officers Memorial Service. All throughout Police Week, you can join many others at receptions held by the D.C. Lodge #1 of the Fraternal Order of Police.
  • Thank any law enforcement personnel you encounter throughout the day. Send letters of gratitude to your local police station.

What’s the hashtag for Peace Officers Memorial Day?

Use #PeaceOfficersMemorialDay on social media to thank our nation’s police force.