Sonoma County Sheriff's Office To Honor Fallen Deputies With Special Ceremony

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- Monday, May 15 is Peace Officer Memorial Day, and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office plans to hold a memorial ceremony for the nine Sheriff’s deputies killed in the line of duty.

The ceremony's set for the main Sheriff’s Office building at noon on May 15. Community members and the media and are welcome. Anyone may view the memorial in the Sheriff’s Office lobby during lobby hours, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, at 2796 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week. This is when communities across America pay special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

Last year, 10 California peace officers made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed while serving the communities they were sworn to protect. On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 63 hours. Over the last decade in the United States, an average of 151 officers a year have been killed in the line of duty, data shows. More than 20,000 United States’ local, state and federal law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.

There were also 51,548 assaults against law enforcement officers in 2015, resulting in 14,453 injuries, according to data.

Image via Sonoma County Sheriff's Office