The Patrick County Sheriff’s Office is preparing to observe National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, a day set aside to honor law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Sheriff Dan Smith said the observance serves as a reminder of the sacrifices officers make while protecting their communities.
Congress authorized President John F. Kennedy to designate May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day on Oct. 1, 1961. The day falls during National Police Week, which recognizes the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers across the country.
“More than 26,000 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in service to their communities,” Smith said in a Monday news release.
Patrick County has lost three officers in the line of duty: Deputy Sheriff/Constable Robert Bunyon Shepherd, Deputy Sheriff Walter W. Willis and Virginia State Trooper Charles Eugene Morris.
Smith said those officers’ sacrifices, along with the work of today’s deputies and troopers, should never be forgotten.
“Whether it’s alone on the highway, in a dark mountain hollow looking for a fugitive, or alone at a heated domestic disturbance, our people put it on the line every time they mark on duty,” Smith said. “It is a true honor to serve with them, and I look forward to leading them for many years to come.”
Law enforcement officers throughout the country, and particularly those in rural areas, routinely face dangerous and unpredictable situations while responding to calls, conducting investigations and protecting the public, he added.
National Police Week events are held annually in Washington, D.C., and communities nationwide to recognize officers who died in the line of duty and to support the families, friends and fellow officers they left behind.
Smith encouraged residents to remember the sacrifices made by officers, past and present, and to keep the families of fallen officers in their thoughts.
