Honoring Our Own

With a week in May being named nationally as Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Week, communities all across America stop to hold a ceremony and place the names of officers killed in the line of duty that particular year on their memorial wall. For those agencies that by the grace of God did not have an officer killed in the line of duty, it becomes an opportunity to pause and remember all the officers who were killed in the line of duty throughout history.

These are somber events as not only officers but surviving family members show up to remember the sacrifice paid by the officer killed and to remind past survivors that we have not forgotten about them. In looking back, I remember an officer who was in my academy class who was killed in our first year on the street. He was chasing a suspect wanted for an armed robbery when he was gunned down. His wife at the time was pregnant with twins. It would be their first children. I got to meet these twin boys at a law enforcement memorial ceremony when they were adults. I got to meet their dad. They never did. As Sheriff I was contacted every year by the brother of an officer killed in the line of duty as the suspect every year after he was eligible, requested to be released on parole. I was asked to write a letter to the parole commission objecting to the cop killer’s release. I reminded the board that the suspect requesting to renew his life was a slap in the face to the surviving family and that while he is alive, the officer was still dead. He has been denied parole every time he made the request. When I hear the phrase second chances, I respond that the officer did not get a second chance. His state is permanent. I have pushed for a federal law that imposes the death penalty for cop killers because most states prohibit such, but I digress.

Every man or women who has put on the uniform has their own personal heartbreaking story about a colleague killed in the line of duty. Every state in the nation has a memorial with the names of their officers who died serving their community. Then there is the law enforcement memorial in Washington DC. I have made the pilgrimage to the national memorial numerous times during police week. It is an overwhelming experience to see so many officers from so many agencies who come to pay tribute to the over twenty thousand names inscribed on the walls of the memorial in Judicary square. Every officer killed in the previous calendar year is added and their families attend. This year 147 new names will be added to the wall. It is a twenty-five percent increase over 2023 when 118 names were added.

This week is an opportunity to show the families that they are not alone in their time of grief. I make it a habit to visit the national shrine not only during law enforcement memorial week but every time I visit Washington DC as a tribute to the sacrifice these officers made serving their communities. Every time I speak before a law enforcement group, I encourage them at some time during their career to go to the nation’s Capital during police memorial week. It is a sobering experience. Those walls talk to you as you stand in the center. Each time I say a prayer and say to myself, that there but for the grace of God go I. Nearly every agency has a name inscribed. Even if they are not from your agency, they are a member of the state brother and sisterhood you live in.

No other profession has a memorial in Washington DC honoring the courage, sacrifice and the service of its members except ours. Think about that. This tribute is mainly for people who served and were killed in wars. Our monument demonstrates how appreciative the public is about the role that policing plays in an orderly society.

So, when we say that we will never forget, it is important to show it to keep this phrase from lacking true meaning. Actions speak louder than words.

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of America’s Sheriff LLC, President of Rise Up Wisconsin INC, Board member of the Crime Research Center, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com