FDL National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony Will Include Trooper Tribute

The City of Fond du Lac Police Department will be hosting its annual National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony on Friday, May 15. The ceremony will begin at 2:00PM and will be held at the Police/Fire Memorial at Hamilton Park (83 Forest Avenue). The ceremony is open to the public and the community is welcomed to join us for this very special ceremony to help pay tribute to the more than 20,000 law enforcement officers that have been killed in the line of duty in the United States. In particular, we will be honoring the service and sacrifices of the three City of Fond du Lac Police Officers that have been shot and killed in the line of duty in the service and protection of our community. Additionally, this year’s ceremony will include a special tribute to the members of the Wisconsin State Patrol and Trooper Trevor Casper who was shot and killed in the City of Fond du Lac on March 24, 2015.

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. In 2015, National Police Week will be Sunday, May 10 through Saturday, May 16; with Police Officer’s Memorial Day being Friday, May 15.

“As that special week approaches, I very humbly ask the members of our community to take some time to reflect upon and pay tribute to the more than 20,000 United States law enforcement officers that have been killed in the line of duty in the history of our nation. Each year, those law enforcement line of duty deaths impact communities all across our nation far too frequently; on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 60 hours. That is an absolutely staggering and tragic statistic.

 

As most know, that ultimate sacrifice, laying down one’s life in the protection of others, has been no stranger to our community. Three members of the City of Fond du Lac Police Department have been killed in the line of duty – all three were shot and killed while responding to or investigating crimes in progress. Tragically, a fourth law enforcement officer has recently given his life in the protection of our community and the people of the State of Wisconsin, when State Trooper Trevor Casper was killed approximately one month ago on our City’s streets in a gunfight with a bank robbery suspect.  In addition to those staggering line of duty death statistics, please also remember that, on average, another 58,930 law enforcement officers are assaulted each year, resulting in 15,404 injuries.

 

Clearly, the men and women who very proudly serve as law enforcement officers all across this great nation sacrifice and risk a great deal in doing so, as do their families. Our community has had two very recent and grim reminders of just how great that sacrifice can be.

 

In the wake of the widespread and mainstream misinformation and anti-police rhetoric that has swept our nation in the past year, we have been very fortunate to see and hear tremendous support from the members of the greater Fond du Lac community. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you and to tell those that have done something to let a police officer know how much their service is appreciated that they will never know how powerful those words and gestures have been – you have helped to remind those officers, and their families and loved ones, why they answered the calling to serve and protect, that it’s all worth it, and that they are making a positive difference.

 

The challenges faced by today’s police officers seem next to impossible at times, but our people will continue to go out there each and every day, lay it all on the line, and work tirelessly in the service and protection of this great community. Please continue to keep those very brave men and women and their families in your thoughts and prayers as they do so.

 

Thank you, once again, for the ongoing support.” – Chief Bill Lamb, City of Fond du Lac Police Department