POLICE MEMORIAL WEEK EVENTS HONOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS

People around Greater Cincinnati took time out Monday, May 11^th, to remember local heroes at the start of Police Memorial Week.

Members of law enforcement come together with the citizens they serve for more than fifty years to recognize the dedication of peace officers and to honor those killed in the line of duty.  In 1962 President John Kennedy signed the proclamation declaring May 15 Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week has come to be known as National Police Week.  Ceremonies and events bring the community together to honor those who serve and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Numerous Hamilton County law enforcement departments and agencies participated in yesterday's events, which included remarks from Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, Mayor John Cranley, City Manager Harry Black, and Councilman Christopher Smitherman, who delivered the keynote address.

After the ceremony, there was the annual parade formed with members of all area law enforcements agencies, their families, and friends from Fountain Square to the police memorial outside police headquarters in the West End. A changing of the guard ceremony opened the program at the memorial, followed by a bugler sounding Taps, a flyover, and a 21-gun salute, to remember officers lost in the line of duty.

During Police Memorial Week, open houses at each of the Cincinnati Police Districts allow citizens to meet the officers who work in their neighborhoods and to learn about some of the specialized units such as canine patrol and detection teams, Segway and bike patrol, and the Special Weapons and Tactics team.  The schedule for open houses at the Districts is as follows:

·         Monday, May 11               District 1 and CBS

·         Tuesday, May 12               District 2

·         Wednesday, May 13         District 3

·         Thursday, May 14              District 4

·         Friday, May 15                    District 5

The open houses will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day.

At the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission, we will continue to work collaboratively to enhance relationships between the police and community.