By Police1 Staff
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has announced that the names of 619 fallen LEOs are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial this year.
The names will be engraved and properly dedicated during the 34th Annual Candlelight Vigil in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2022.
Of the officers being honored this year, 472 were killed during 2021 (of which 319 fatalities were COVID-19-related). It is the largest number of officers ever added to the memorial in a single year. An additional 147 officers died before 2021.
With these additions, there will now be 23,229 officer names engraved on the Memorial, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, federal law enforcement and military police agencies.
An estimated 30,000 people attend the Candlelight Vigil ceremony during National Police Week. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s ceremony will be the first held in a traditional setting since 2019.
“The names of the 619 fallen officers going on the memorial this year is a solemn reminder that each day is fragile, and that officers risk their lives daily so that we all may live safer together,” said Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in a statement. “The ultimate sacrifice put forth by these brave men and women will never be forgotten.”
Find the names of the 619 officers at the Roll Call of Heroes 2022 and follow Police1’s coverage of National Police Week activities here.