National Police Week will be observed May 11-17, 2025, with Thursday, May 15 designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day.
In 2024, 148 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. This year, 345 names – with nine from North Carolina – will be added to the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C., including 197 officers killed prior to 2024.
In 1962, President John F. 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.
Thirty-sixth Prosecutorial District Attorney Scott Reilly said, “Every day, our communities are protected by dedicated men and women in law enforcement and, unfortunately, some give their lives to this cause. I ask all the citizens in Burke, Caldwell and Catawba counties to join me in remembering these brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice and to the men and women in law enforcement who serve our counties every day.”