At this year’s Vigil, the names of 282 fallen officers were read aloud. Each name has been added to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial, which now honors 24,067 fallen officers.
Speakers at this year’s vigil included Bill Alexander, CEO of NLEOMF, and Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Alexander talked about the anti-police sentiment that has led many corporations to withdraw support from law enforcement. He thanked some of the corporate sponsors of NLEOMF that he said made the Vigil possible. The companies he named were: Verizon, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Police Unity Tour, Tyler Technologies, Haas Alert, 5.11, Target, and Whelan Engineering.
Quoting President George Herbert Walker Bush, Alexander said: “Carved on these walls (of the memorial) is the story of America.” Wrapping up his comments he promised the police survivors in the audience, “the stories of your loved ones will be forever told.”
DHS Secretary Mayorkas spoke of the dangers of law enforcement and the heroism of officers. “There is no such thing as a ‘routine’ or ‘risk-free’ dispatch,” he said.
Addressing the police survivors in the audience, Mayorkas said, “We are indebted to you for the sacrifices you have made.”