To honor their sacrifice, the names of 316 law enforcement officers were engraved onto the marble walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial . The men and women who served their communities as officers, deputies, troopers and agents were honored during National Police Week, and well-wishers came to pay homage to their memories by leaving notes, photos, duty gear and other personal items. View the tributes.
Police Week 2011: What They Left Behind
The Atlantic City (N.J.) PD lost Officer Thomas McMeekin on March 4, 2005. The officer's daughter wrote this note to her father, who was struck by a vehicle.
Phoenix Police Officer Travis Murphy "absolutely loved his job," his wife said after he was killed May 26. This tribute comes from his wife.
Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner was fatally shot on Dec. 9, 1981.
Inspirational quotes grace various sections of the 304-foot marble memorial walls. This one, "In Valor There Is Hope," is attributed to Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman senator and historian.
Tampa Police Officers David Curtis (left) and Jeffrey Kocab were young, proactive officers killed during a traffic stop on June 29, 2010.
St. Louis County Police Officer JoAnna Liscombe was fatally shot Jan. 14, 1991.
The Nassau County (N.Y.) Police Department lost two officers in 2011, including Geoffrey Breitkopf in a friendly fire incident.
Border Agent Brian Terry. a member of the elite Bortac unit, was tracking "rip crews" when he was fatally shot Dec. 14.
Covington (Ky.) Police Officer Mike Partin drowned after falling into the Ohio River during a foot pursuit on Jan. 4, 1998.
Officers place agency pins, mini patches and ribbons on the walls to honor fallen officers.
The ATF lost two of these three agents during the Prohibition era. Todd McKeehan was one of four ATF agents killed during the Feb. 28, 1993 raid of the Branch Davidian cult's Waco, Texas, compound.
Detroit Police Officer Brian Huff's killer was given a life sentence earlier this month.
The brother of Tayor (Mich.) Police Officer Matthew Edwards brought the officer's cruiser door signed by other members of the agency. It also includes the message, "Cover your target!"
The NLEOMF's signature phrase pays tribute to the officers' lives.
The four Lakewood (Wash.) Police officers were remembered with the agency's more traditional patch than a year ago, when special grey patches were added with black stars representing each slain officer.
The California Highway Patrol lost five officers in 2010.