Washington, DC - The Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary will assemble virtually to honor the 185 law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. Undeterred by the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be keeping with our long-standing tradition of paying tribute to our fallen officers with a special video production, which will be released on May 15th at 11:00 A.M. EDT on our social media platforms (Facebook.com/GLFOP and Youtube.com/user/GLFOP).

Historically, the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service is hosted on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol and is the capstone event of National Police Week which draws tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from across the United States and the world. For the first time in more than thirty-nine years, the National Fraternal Order of Police, families and colleagues of the nation's fallen peace officers cannot come together in Washington D.C. to honor the memories of our heroes.

"While we cannot come together and draw strength from one another on the lawn of the Capitol this year, the National Fraternal Order of Police remains committed to paying tribute to the nation's fallen heroes," said Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police. “To be clear, nothing—not even COVID-19 —will deter us from honoring our fallen officers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities.”

In keeping with tradition, the video features a special message from President Donald J. Trump, who has delivered the keynote address at the past three National Peace Officers’ Memorial Services hosted by the National Fraternal Order of Police. While attendees are not able to be together in our nation’s capital for this solemn day of remembrance, the National FOP is privileged and honored by President Trump’s participation.

“President Donald Trump has embraced our law enforcement families—he has joined us for each Memorial Service of his presidency, he has welcomed our surviving families, he has grieved with them and he has consoled them,” said Yoes. “President Trump has never wavered in his support of the men and women of law enforcement. We are grateful for his strong commitment in keeping our nation safe, our communities safe, and America’s law enforcement officers safe.”

The National Fraternal Order of Police collaborated with music industry professionals, artists and long-time sponsors of our traditional memorial service to create a fitting tribute that includes a performance from country music star and Grammy Award winner Lee Brice.

“When we pitched the idea to music video producer Chase Lauer and country music star Lee Brice, they wasted no time and produced an outstanding tribute and we are extremely grateful for their help,” said Yoes.

“We couldn’t have pulled this off without the generous support of and help from our corporate sponsors, particularly Gavin Hattersley of the Molson Coors Beverage Company as well as music executive Tommy Mottola.”

The sacrifice of these fallen officers and their families will never be forgotten. Just as the National Fraternal Order of Police has done for four decades, next year the FOP will honor these brave men and women at its Memorial Service on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

“This is our promise to each of them and their surviving families,” said Yoes. “May our heroes rest in peace, may God bless the families they leave behind, may God watch over the officers protecting the streets and communities today, and may God bless the United States of America.”

In October 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15th as National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day. Since the signing of this proclamation, this date has been the official day of recognition for law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the performance of their duty. This is the 39th year that the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary have held the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service.

The Fraternal Order of Police is the largest law enforcement labor organization in the United States with more than 351,000 members.