National Peace Officers Memorial Day

On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 61 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Fund serves as a nationwide clearinghouse of information and statistics on law enforcement line-of-duty deaths. Our Research Department maintains a comprehensive fatality database, and we publish regular Fatalities Reports examining trends and issues in officer fatalities.

If the information you are seeking is not provided here, please feel free to contact the Memorial Fund Research Department at 202-737-3400 or research@nleomf.org.

In addition to statistical data, you can look up information about individual officers who have died in the line of duty in our Fallen Officer Search.

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police 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.

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of many organizations dedicated to honoring America’s law enforcement community. The principal organizers of National Police Week include:

• National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), which produces the annual Candlelight Vigil.
  Phone: (202) 737-3400 | Email: vigil@nleomf.org
• Fraternal Order of Police/Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary (FOP/FOPA), which organize the Peace Officers Memorial Day Service at the U.S. Capitol.
  www.policeweek.org
• Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), which holds the National Police Survivors’ Conference.
  Phone: (573) 346-4911
  First year survivors, call: (800) 784-2677 | Email: cops@nationalcops.org