Police Week - DOI Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony

The U.S. Department of the Interior is entrusted with managing our Country’s most precious resources, vast landscapes, and historic icons. We have a duty to care for these places and to keep the visiting public safe. At the very heart of this charge are our 3,600 law enforcement officers, who make up the third largest Federal law enforcement agency.

In 1962, May 15 was designated as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the entire week as National Police Week—a time to recognize all law enforcement officers. This year, National Police Week is May 12-18. The week is an opportunity to honor our Nation’s law enforcement officers and express our sincerest gratitude for their service.

Please join me in honoring our Department’s brave officers during our annual Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony. The event is:

• Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 11:00 a.m.
• Sidney R. Yates Auditorium, Main Interior Building
• For those unable to attend, watch the webcast.

Since the Department’s founding in 1849, we have lost 140 law enforcement officers in the line of duty, most recently Officer Beau Sauselein from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Division of Refuge Law Enforcement. In addition to recognizing the Department’s fallen, we stand in solidarity with our Tribal law enforcement counterparts of the Sac and Fox Nation, Omaha Nation, and Salt River Police Department. They memorialized Officer Nathan Graves, Sergeant Curtis Blackbird, and Police Officer Clayton Townsend this year on the Indian Country Law Enforcement Memorial in Artesia, New Mexico. It is important that we never forget their great sacrifice and celebrate the lives they lived serving others.

The Department’s vast and unique mission means our law enforcement officers must possess a wealth of knowledge and a wide range of skills. As police officers, rangers, wildlife officers, and special agents, they may frequently work alone, patrolling vast lands. They may be called upon to render emergency medical care, investigate complex resource crimes, perform harrowing technical rescues, and engage in proactive community policing. They work alongside their State, Tribal, and local counterparts, who collectively support efforts to protect our lands and to keep our communities safe. All in all, they are more than law enforcement officers; they are selfless community leaders who ensure our safety and deserve the highest level of respect and admiration.

I am honored to recognize the Department’s thousands of permanent and seasonal law enforcement officers, who tirelessly protect our treasured lands and keep the public safe.

Their commitment to the mission and to the American people is deeply appreciated.

/s/ David L. Bernhardt
Secretary of the Interior