The is the Minnesota Law Enforcement Memorial in St. Paul. The memorial is dedicated to the lives of the men and women who have dedicated their lives to keeping the peace and enforcing the laws in our communities.
I am including this photo in my blog today because it is May 15, National Peace Officers Memorial Day. This day has been set aside since October 1962 to consider the fallen peace officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. There is memorial event held at the memorial each year on this date. Our Police Department had officers at the event to serve in the honor guard at the memorial.
I had the opportunity to attend the annual awards and recognition ceremony for our Police Department just last night. It was a great event. New officers were sworn in. Current officers were recognized for their valor and for new promotions. Officer John WIlson was recognized as the 2008 Officer of the Year. Congratulations John!
One aspect of the awards event that is the same year in and year out here in Eden Prairie is the presence of the families. There are moms, dads, brohters, sisters, kids of all ages. The presence of officer families is a really strong reminder to me of the importance of the family to the individual officer, and the importance of having a warm and supportive “work family”. It’s a very strong feeling here. Stronger than anywhere I’ve worked.
So today as I think about the warm feelings and pride that I saw last night, I will also spend a few minutes today thinking about the officers whose lives were given and taken in the line of duty. We should all think about that today.












