Full Notification

The national day for recognition for Peace Officer’s Memorial Day is celebrated during National Police Week on May 15th each year. As part of the local recognition, area law enforcement agencies are coming together to pay tribute Wednesday, May 4th at the Lakewood Memorial Park. Among those police officers to be remembered are five officers from the Turlock Police Department who died in the line of duty.

"The Turlock community is grateful to the men and women of our police department for their unwavering commitment to our city," said Mayor Gary Soiseth. "All Turlock officers--along with other officers in local law enforcement agencies--have pledged to keep Turlock safe at all costs, while some officers are called to make the ultimate sacrifice to fulfill this mission. The Peace Officer's Memorial Day ceremony honors this sacrifice and thanks their families for these selfless acts of dedication to our residents."

“Honor Roll” Honors Sacrifice – Shine a Blue Light to Show Your Support

For many Americans, the term “Honor Roll” conjures up images of academic excellence and the proud feelings associated with seeing your name included on a prestigious list. For law enforcement, the “Honor Roll” is not a list on which we want to find our names. Although this list also gives rise to feelings of pride, it is the list of peace officers killed in the line of duty. So far in 2016, 33 names were added to the national Honor Roll.

Each year, the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation holds a ceremony to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have made the ultimate sacrifice and joined the list that year. The numbers vary from year to year, but since 2001, the names of 159 California Police Officers have been added to the Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Capitol Park in Sacramento and are included in the Honor Roll on the Foundation’s website. Those names are also included in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC and are joined by thousands of others. These brave men and women are honored each year in our nation’s capital during National Police Week in May. This year, May 15th will be recognized as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 61 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

“The good work that we do day-in and day-out does not frequently end up in the paper. It is not considered news because it is what we chose to do – protect and serve our respective communities,” said Police Chief Rob Jackson. “None of us want to be included on the “Honor Roll” for our service, but recognize that the “Honor Roll” is there to remind us that each year, there are those of us who will make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our communities. And on May 4th, we will honor five of our past colleagues, in addition to others that have given the ultimate sacrifice.”

The risk of this sacrifice keeps many from entering the law enforcement profession. Those brave men and women who chose law enforcement start each day with a desire to serve and protect our communities by putting the safety of others before their own. They are husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. They are coaches, counselors, mediators and mentors. The Turlock Police Department is dedicated to fighting crime and creating a safe community for those they serve. Turlock’s officer’s help at-risk youth in schools, parents in crisis and connect the homeless and mentally ill with services.

The police officers of the Turlock Police Department care deeply for the citizens of Turlock and demonstrate that care through various community engagement efforts. Mayor Gary Soiseth, the City Council and Police Robert Jackson encourage everyone in the Turlock community to show that support during National Police Week, the week of May 15th, by shining a blue light to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their community and to show our local heroes how much they are supported by those they serve.

Captain Steve Williams, Turlock Police Department

This information is being released by Turlock Police Department Officer Steve Rodrigues.

Any media requests should contact:
Officer Steve Rodrigues
Office of Professional Standards
Turlock Police Department
Office phone - (209) 656-3154
Email – [email protected]