Washington, DC - Today, the National Fraternal Order of Police and National Auxiliary will gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to honor the 222 law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty during 2023.
Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, stated: “Every day, the over 800,000 men and women of law enforcement go to work knowing that they might not make it home. Last year, 222 of them made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, the families of these fallen heroes share our grief. We draw strength from each other, from the memories of those who were lost, and from the certainty that they will live on through the families and friends they have left behind.”
Thousands of officers, as well as the surviving family members and friends of slain officers, traveled from across the country to the nation’s capital to attend the FOP’s 43rd Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service, which is the nation’s largest and most prominent memorial service held on behalf of fallen law enforcement officers.
“We can measure time, but we cannot measure loss,” said Yoes. “We gather here today on the West Front of the Capitol to honor our fallen Brothers and Sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community. The sacrifice of these fallen officers and their families will never be forgotten. May these heroes rest in peace, and may we say their names often so that their memories may live on. We promise to never let their families walk alone.”
HISTORY OF THE EVENT
• 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 43rd year that the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary have held the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service.
• On 15 May 1982, the Fraternal Order of Police and its Auxiliary hosted the First Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. The ceremony has become nationally recognized, which contributed to the building and dedication of the “Wall of Remembrance” on Judiciary Square in Washington, D.C. Currently, the Wall is inscribed with the names of the more than 23,000 law enforcement officers who have made the supreme sacrifice “to protect and serve” the laws and the citizens of the United States.
FACTS ABOUT LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER LINE-OF-DUTY DEATHS
• Out of a total of 222 officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2023, 75 officers succumbed to illnesses they contracted when they responded to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
• Of the total officers killed in the line of duty, 48 deaths were by gunfire in 2023.
• Since the first recorded police death in 1791, there have been more than 23,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
• The deadliest year in law enforcement history was 2021 when 623 officers were killed (436 were COVID-19-related).
• The deadliest decade was the 1920s when a total of 2,437 officers died, or 243 each year.
• The deadliest day in law enforcement history was 11 September 2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on the United States.