By Sarah Roebuck
Police1
WASHINGTON — The names of the fallen officers who were listed on this year’s Roll Call of Heroes were read aloud during the National Peace Officers’ Memorial service.
“To the family members, partners, colleagues and friends who have traveled here today to remember your loved ones: We know it is impossible to understand the grief you endure, or to fully comprehend your loss,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said during the service. “So, as we pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country, we also honor the ongoing sacrifices by those they loved the most. Thank you so much for being here.”
During the service, Garland highlighted a few stories of some of the fallen officers, including Corporal Ray Hamilton who served with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Florida.
Hamilton won not one, but two lifesaving awards during his five years of service with the sheriff’s office.
Garland noted that Hamilton excelled as a law enforcement officer, crime scene investigator, fiield training officer and, finally, a member of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team.
On Christmas Eve last year, Hamilton and his team answered a call regarding a domestic violence suspect who refused to leave a house. The suspect shot at Hamilton from a window, killing him.
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Detective Myiesha Stewart from Greenville, Mississippi, was another story highlighted during Garland’s speech. Stewart had only served with the Greenville Police Department for two years. But in that time, she graduated from the police academy and was named the 2021 Rookie of the Year. Her commitment to the Greenville community was evident.
In October 2022, she responded to a shots fired call. She did not make it home that night.
Stewart was shot and killed in the line of duty, leaving behind her 3-year-old son.
“Law enforcement officers and their families deserve enormous respect and gratitude for their unselfish service to their communities,” Garland said. “But they deserve more. They deserve the resources they need to stay safe and supported.”
After Garland’s remarks, each name on the Roll Call of Heroes list was read out loud.