Police Week Honors 181 Officers Killed In 2007
National Police Week 2008 is under way honoring our nation's fallen law enforcement officers and supporting families and other survivors they left behind.
The occasion this year is perhaps even more somber because 2007 was one of the deadliest years in more than a decade for law enforcement - with 181 officers killed in the line of duty.
Their names will be added to the National Memorial in Washington, D.C., this week, along with those of 177 fallen officers who died in previous years but had been lost to history until now.
Smith County has a special ceremony today as part of the local observance of this special week. It will be at noon at T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza in downtown.
Tyler and county law enforcement agencies as well as the public have been encouraged to attend in support of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Names of Smith County's officers killed while on duty will be read as flags fly at half staff. Nine officers from the county have died in the line of duty since 1946.
Texas, with 22, was the state with the most line-of-duty deaths last year, followed by Florida with 16, California 10, and Louisiana, 9.
With the exception of 2001, when 240 officers were killed - 72 of them on 9/11 - 2007 was the deadliest year for U.S. law enforcement since 1991, when there also were 181 deaths.
Compared with 2006, officer fatalities rose 20 percent last year. The increase was driven largely by a 26 percent jump in the number of officers killed by gunfire, from 54 in 2006 to 68 in 2007.
The number of officers killed in traffic-related incidents also rose in 2007to 83, an all-time high, and it was the 10th year in a row in which more officers died in traffic-related incidents than from gunfire or any other single cause.
A variety of causes accounted for the other 30 deaths in 2007, largely from job-related industries or illnesses.
"The safety of our communities and the freedoms we enjoy as a nation have always come at a price," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. "In 2007, the price paid by our heroic and dedicated law enforcement officers was especially high and the loss felt by their loved ones and colleagues was particularly severe.
"These heroes are honored during National Police Week and they are always remembered on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial," he added.
Nationally, the May 11-17 observance centers on activities in Washington with special events and ceremonies daily. The 20th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Monument Tuesday evening concluded with the reading of the 358 newly engraved names on the Memorial.
Another highlight event of the week's schedule is the 27th Annual National Peace Officers Memorial Day Service at noon Thursday. A wreath laying ceremony is on the Friday schedule.
The 181 officers who died during 2007 ranged in age from 19 to 76; the average age was 39.
Six times during 2007, more than one officer was gunned down in the same incident - including the fatal shooting of three Odessa police officers who responded to a domestic disturbance call in September, and of two Henderson County deputies slain in May as they responded to another family dispute near Payne Springs.
Among the 83 officers killed in traffic-related incidents, 60 died in automobile crashes, 9 in motorcycle accidents and 14 were struck and killed by another vehicle while outside their police vehicles.
Dedicated in 1991, the National Memorial now includes the names of 18,274 local, state and federal law enforcement officers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, federal law enforcement and military police agencies.
National Police Week activities are significant in that they honor law enforcement officers who have given their lives while doing their jobs of protecting American citizens against crime and criminals.
In addition, these ceremonies testify to the hazards law enforcement officers face in performing their duties and provide citizens an opportunity to express their appreciation and continuing support.
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