Three Officers Added to Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Friday before Start of National Police Week

Who do you call if there's a burglar in your home, if your car has been stolen, if you see a terrible car wreck or just about any situation where you or someone you care about is in danger?

Chances are it is the police.

It's an often thankless and dangerous job for people, who like us, hope to return home at the end of the work day to see their husbands, wives, kids or parents.

The week of May 12-18 has been designated as National Police Week across the country. And on Friday three police officers who lost their lives while on duty were honored and had their names added to the Iowa Peace Officer Memorial.  

Stuart Police Department Chief Robert Smith, Motor Vehicle Enforcement Officer Philip J. Adams, and Floyd County Deputy Levi Bowers all died on duty, according to a release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

Smith died in 2010 from complications of an on the job injury that left him paralyzed. Adams was struck by a car in 1973 and Bowers was shot to death in 1916. An additional 166 officers are named on the memorial in Des Moines and all Iowa officers who lost their lives while on duty are also listed on the Public Safety website. None of the lost have been from Ames, but Sgt. Howard Snider died in a boating accident recently.

Take a moment to thank the officers in blue for their service to the community. Please share a word of thanks or anecdote in the comment section below, or upload a photo or video.

You can also show your support by flying a blue ribbon from your vehicle antenna.

According to the Peace Week website, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation in 1962 designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

Ames Newsletter/Ames Patch Facebook page/Twitter: @AmesPatch