(NEWS CENTER Maine)-- In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week.
The dedicated week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events to honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.
In Maine, the state’s Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is in Augusta. The memorial was dedicated on May 25, 1991, following a fund-raising effort by the Maine Chiefs of Police Association.
The granite memorial bears the 85 names of officers who died in the line of duty. On Thursday, May 17, Officers from across the state held the annual observance in honor of their fallen fellow coworkers in Maine.
The new name added this year was Nathan Desjardins of Fryeburg Police, who died last year attempting a water rescue along the Saco River.
The name of Somerset Deputy Eugene Cole, shot and killed in late April in Norridgewock, will be added next year. Cole will be the 86th name on the memorial.
As we end this National Police Week, here are the 85 names engraved in the granite Maine Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.