When President John F. Kennedy signed legislation designating May 15 as Peace Officer Memorial Day in 1962, it was hard to envision what that would become. A memorial service that started from a small gathering of 120 survivors in Senate Park in 1982 has now blossomed into a week-long series of events attracting tens of thousands of officers yearly. Officers from around the country converge on Washington, D.C., to pay tribute and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
Being a police officer is one of the most rewarding professions in the world, but it does come with risks. Police officers, no matter where they live in the world, face the same dangers, putting public safety above their own. Some countries designate a day of remembrance for fallen officers, while many do not. INTERPOL (International Criminal Police Organization), the largest international policing organization with 196 member countries, recognizes the dangers officers face worldwide. INTERPOL has designated March 7 as the International Day of Remembrance for Fallen Police Officers.
Although Police Week honors officers from the US and its territories killed in the line of duty, it attracts officers worldwide. Each year, officers from as far as Australia travel to Washington, D.C., to participate in the different events and programs held in the nation’s capital. As a retired police officer, I have dedicated my career to honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice. As an Ambassador for the NLEOMF, I can continue honoring our fallen heroes. At this year’s Police Week, I spoke with as many foreign police officers who were present to understand their motivations for traveling such a great distance to attend this event and what this event means to them. I also wanted to know what memorials or ceremonies are held in their country and how they compare to Police Week in the US. Here are a few countries and officers represented this year at National Police Week.
England
This year, England brought a dozen officers to Police Week. I had the opportunity to talk to some of them. I first met Inspector Jaiye Warwick-Saunders from the Metropolitan Police Service in London while at the K9 memorial service. Warwick’s first visit to Police Week was in 2003. In 2002, Warwick, as part of a 250-officer delegation from England, traveled to New York to participate in the first anniversary of 9/11. While there, he was invited to attend Police Week the following year. During his visit, he met Charles Ramsey, Chief of the DC Metropolitan Police Department. Chief Ramsey invited Warwick to return the following year to join the DC’s honor guard and family support team.
Warwick has attended Police Week every year since. In 2005, Warwick began recruiting officers, which led to the creation of the U.K. Police Contingent, the largest foreign contingent of officers at Police Week. He also became an ambassador for Care of Police Survivors (the U.K.’s version of Concerns of Police Survivors). Warwick has a passion for honoring our fallen. Warwick retired in 2021, and that year’s Police Week was supposed to be his last, but it was canceled due to COVID-19. (Police Week was moved to October 2021). He had an opportunity to come out of retirement. He said, “I jumped at the chance, knowing that I would be able to attend two more Police Weeks and contribute to honouring fallen officers and supporting their survivors.”
At the K9 ceremony, Warwick was accompanied by another officer, Declan Rouse. He serves as a special constable (similar to a reserve officer in the US) for the Hertfordshire Constabulary. When asked why he wanted to attend Police Week, he responded, “I have always wanted to attend Police Week. Three years ago, I had the opportunity to attend along with the UK Honour Guard. I found the experience to be one of the most humbling and privileged experiences of my policing career. Getting to share stories and memories of the officers, Deputies, and Agents who are no longer here with us, and being able to continue to carry on the memory of those Men and Women was a huge honour to me. Seeing the impact we have on the loved ones, friends, and colleagues of those left behind left a real impression on me. From the first year of attendance, I have attended every year and will continue to do so.”
What he said he most enjoyed about Police Week was, “Honouring those who are no longer here and supporting those who still are. For that reason I enjoy working the Airport detail. This is where we get to meet the families, talk to them, share stories, offer comfort if needed, and make those connections. Even though the time between collecting them as they step off the plane, collecting their baggage, and getting them checked in with the coaches to the survivor hotels, may be short, these interactions can have a profound impact on the families attending. Especially when they see officers have traveled halfway across the world to honour their loved ones and support them during a time they will be riding an emotional rollercoaster.”
During the Candlelight Vigil, I also spoke with Raj Kanth, a detective constable with the West Midlands Police. This was her first time attending Police Week. “I have never been to Police Week, nor had I ever heard of it. I have been an honour guard for West Midlands Police since 2016, and when I was offered this opportunity to attend, I couldn’t resist and had to be part of it.” She also said it was an amazing opportunity to meet people from other departments and make new friends.
For her most memorable moment at Police Week, she said, “The best part for me was meeting the families as they came off the planes and making a connection with them. Escorting them from there onwards to the coach and then the police escorted them to their hotels. This time allowed me to connect with them and learn of their stories. Very sad and raw for a lot of them. I met one family who had lost a colleague and husband on October 17, 2023. They were from San Benito, TX. The next time I saw the families was on the actual memorial day. Again, meeting them off the coaches, escorting them to their seats, and having the POTUS give a speech was phenomenal. I felt honoured to be standing so close to the POTUS and being there for the families of the fallen.”
England has a police memorial in London, which was unveiled in 2005 and has the names of nearly 4,000 officers killed in the line of duty. England holds a one-day police memorial service in September, but it is more of a religious-based ceremony. It rotates each year around the four UK capitals: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Belfast. However, other venues such as Glasgow and Canterbury Cathedral have been chosen.
Germany
This year, two officers from Germany made the trip to Police Week. One of those officers, Benjamin H., rank, Erster Polizeihauptmeister (Sergeant), first came to Police Week in 2017. The trip was arranged through a section of the International Police Association. He has been back to Police Week every year, except during COVID. There is no police memorial for fallen officers in Germany. They have a church service once a year. When asked what Police Week means to him, he said, “For me Police Week is about the blue family. Even from another country across the globe, it still is one family. It is good to meet other officers, getting to talk with them and see their perspectives on the job. It also is a reminder why I started my job as a police officer and that policing, even if difficult, is important. Over the years there are friendships being built with other officers. It is nice to meet them again at Police Week.”
Canada
It is not surprising that Canada is represented at Police Week every year. Officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to the various cities and provinces are in attendance. A group of officers from the Toronto Police Department was at Police Week, but they were not alone. They brought their horses. Mounted police units nationwide come to the DC area every year to participate in the North American Police Equitation championships in nearby Herndon, Virginia. The North American Police Equestrian Council sponsors the event, which coincides with Police Week. The mounted officers participate in the Candlelight Vigil and the Law Enforcement Memorial Service.
One of those officers in attendance was Joel Houston, a training constable for the Toronto Police Mounted Unit Training Section. Toronto participates in the equestrian championships every year as a competitor and in a training capacity. They provide crowd management and drill training to the horses and riders in attendance. Bringing horses to Police Week is challenging, especially when crossing the border. The horses must have a clean bill of health before they are allowed into the US. All horses are housed and fed at a horse facility where the competition is held.
Houston has been to Police Week previously, but this year seemed especially special for him. “The camaraderie during the events leading up to the memorial has always been a big draw for me but, this year I had the great honour of calling my section of 60 horses to attention for the arrival of the survivors, and that was incredibly special.” Compared to the US, Canada has federal and provincial police memorials. There are annual events honoring the police in Ottawa at the federal memorial. Large cities may also have their own memorials. Toronto has a police memorial at Queens Park, which is also the site of the Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto.
Israel
Sometimes, foreign police officers get the unique opportunity to participate in the Roll Call of Heroes at the Candlelight Vigil. Chief Superintendent Yoni Zeitak of the Israeli National Police was one of those officers. Zeitak has been to Police Week for seven years and is heavily involved with the Police Unity Tour. He came to the US as part of a fifteen-officer Israeli contingent. In his own time, he leads a project that helps to bring fifty officers from the Police Unity Tour in the US to Israel. He helps with hosting officers from abroad while visiting Israel.
The primary purpose of the Police Unity Tour is to raise awareness of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. They do this by organizing a four-day bicycle ride that begins in Florham Park, NJ, and ends in Washington, DC. What started with 18 riders has now blossomed to 2600 members across nine chapters. Those coming from Israel ride with the New Jersey chapter. This is an excellent example of bridging two countries together through the law enforcement profession. The friendships that are formed and the opportunities that are gained cannot be measured.
Referencing his time at Police Week, Zeitak said, “Over the years, I made a lot of police friends and during police week, you get a very strong brotherhood feeling.” Israel holds a police memorial ceremony that is held at the national police academy in Jerusalem. They also have two national museums and several monuments dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers. Yom HaZikaron, or Remembrance Day, is held in either April or May based on the Hebrew calendar. Although it is a day of remembrance for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, fallen police officers have also been recognized. In 2023, Israel lost nearly sixty police officers during the Israel-Hamas war.
The officers in attendance this year represent just a fraction of the many officers from around the world who come to D.C. Many are returning visitors; for some, it is their first time. Most officers must finance their travel to Police Week out of their own pocket and take vacation time. While the officers from Toronto and Israel are on official business, the same cannot be said for the rest. Police Week has come to symbolize much more than just honoring our fallen; it has helped to bridge relationships among police officers around the world. In years past, officers from Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Guatemala, South Korea, and many more have made their presence known at Police Week. What began as a small gathering of survivors in 1982 has become a national event attended by police officers worldwide.
