Washington, DC - Today, the National Fraternal Order of Police and its National Auxiliary will host thousands of law enforcement officers, surviving family members, and friends of slain officers on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to honor the 191 law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in 2025.
National President Yoes welcomed the survivor families who traveled from across the country to our nation’s capital to attend the FOP’s 45th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. This is the nation’s largest and most prominent memorial service held on behalf of fallen law enforcement officers.
“Today is never an easy day. We honor the fallen, we grieve, and most of all, we remember. The memories of our lost loved ones are with us always,” said Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police. “In the difficult times ahead, these memories will give us the strength to face tomorrow, and the next day and the day after that. The men and women we honor today and their loved ones who are here, are never truly lost—they stay with us, just as your FOP family is with you, today and always.”
“This Service is a solemn reminder of the dangers of serving in law enforcement, and that nothing in our profession can be taken for granted. We mourn their sacrifice and we pledge this to their memories—we will never let their families walk alone,” Yoes said.
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 45th 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 24,000 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 191 officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2025, 60 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, 45 deaths were by gunfire in 2025.
• Since the first recorded police death in 1791, there have been more than 24,000 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.