Daleville honors police officers, remembers those lost

Members of the Daleville community gathered together at the Daleville Department of Public Safety to honor those killed in the line of duty during the National Peace Officer Memorial Day Ceremony May 15.

The afternoon ceremony formally recognizing local peace officers was the first for Daleville. The national day of honor and remembrance, which began in 1962 under President John F. Kennedy, recognizes law enforcement personnel who have served in the past as well as those who continue to protect their communities.

During the ceremony, Daleville Mayor Claudia Wigglesworth thanked law enforcement personnel for taking on the often dangerous responsibility of keeping the community safe. 

“Our police officers are on the front lines everyday with the great responsibility and great obligation to keep us safe,” Wigglesworth said. “I thank you for your dedication and your commitment to protect and serve.”

Wigglesworth said more than 200 law enforcement personnel are killed in the line of duty every year.

While citizens should honor the ultimate sacrifice so many police officers make, it’s also important to recognize law enforcement members for what they do on a daily basis, she said.

“We should extend our thanks to police officers not only in times of tragedy, but also for tragedy that has been averted, through vigilance, active law enforcement and crime prevention,” Wigglesworth said.

In a speech to the community during the ceremony, Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson told officers to never forget the honor they hold in protecting lives.

Such an honor often comes with a great cost. Since the first death in 1791, more than 20,000 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty, Olson said.

Olson said the memory of those lost in the line of duty should live on by strengthening officers’ commitment to watch out for one another.

“We honor each and every officer who lost his or her life in the line of duty while protecting the citizens of our great nation,” Olson said. “No act of violence can ever erase their memory from our minds and hearts.”