NARRAGANSETT — Chief Sean Corrigan and the Narragansett Police Department honor the law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the line of duty during National Police Week.
National Police Week takes place this year from May 14-20. In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.
In honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, the Narragansett Police Department joined agencies nationwide in flying their flags at half-staff to honor officers who have given their lives in service to their communities, including Narragansett Patrolman Joseph J. Westlake (1902).
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Patrolman Westlake was shot and killed after he and his partner responded to the sounds of shots being fired.
“During National Police Week, we remember the officers and their families who have died in the line of duty, including Patrolman Westlake,” Chief Corrigan said. “We must never forget their service, nor must we forget the families, fellow officers and communities they left behind.”
Every year, 25,000 to 40,000 law enforcement officers from around the world gather in Washington, D.C. to pay their respects during a number of planned events. National Police Week events offer honor, remembrance, and peer support, while allowing law enforcement, survivors, and others to gather and pay homage to those who gave their lives in the line of duty.
This year, the names of 556 officers killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. The names included 224 officers who were killed during 2022, and an additional 332 officers who died in previous years. There are currently 23,785 names engraved on the Memorial.
A total of 246 officers were killed in the line of duty in 2022 and 42 have been killed so far in 2023.
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