Slain Chief Maloney Honored During Police Week

Exeter and other municipalities throughout the Granite State will soon take part in a statewide and nationwide Police Week and Police Officers Memorial Day to honor and thank the individuals who protect local streets on a daily basis.

Police Week begins on Sunday, May 12, and continues through Saturday, May 19, during which Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan said residents are "encouraged" to affix a blue ribbon to their vehicles' antennas in support of Greenland Police Chief Michael Maloney and other law enforcement officers who have fallen in the line of duty.

Wednesday, May 15, also serves as Police Officers Memorial Day for this very purpose, and Maloney will be posthumously honored in Washington, D.C., in front of family and friends on May 15 as part of a ceremony at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

The Hampton Board of Selectmen has issued a proclamation declaring the week and memorial day as important events.

"We the board of selectmen call upon all citizens of the town of Hampton and all patriotic, civil and educational organizations to... join in commemorating police officers past and present, who by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities have rendered a dedicated service to their communities and, in doing do, have established for themselves an enviable and enduring reputation for preserving the rights and security of all citizens," said Vice Chairman Dick Nichols, who read the proclamation Monday night.

Nichols also stated while reading from the proclamation that "it is important that all citizens know and understand the problems, duties and responsibilities of their police department, and that members of our police department recognize their duty to serve the people by safeguarding life and property, by protecting them against violence or disorder, and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression or intimidation."

Sullivan said the public is also invited to attend the state's Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony in Concord on Friday, May 17, where law enforcement agencies from throughout the state will honor all New Hampshire officers killed in the line of duty. The hourlong ceremony will be held at the memorial, located at 25 Capital St. in Concord.