FAIRFIELD — Chief Christopher Lyddy is pleased to share that the Fairfield Police Department will participate in a police memorial parade to the Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial on Friday in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day.
WHEN:
Friday, May 15 at 11 a.m.
WHERE:
Connecticut Law Enforcement Memorial at the Connecticut Police Academy, 285 Preston Ave., Meriden
WHAT:
The drive-by parade, hosted by the Connecticut Police Chiefs Law Enforcement Memorial Committee, will honor the 144 Connecticut law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
The parade participants will gather in the parking lot of the former Lowe’s store located at 1201 East Main St. in Meriden at 10:30 a.m.
Beginning at 10:50 a.m., the Meriden Police Department will escort the parade to the memorial at the Connecticut Police Academy. The academy grounds will be coned off and vehicles will turn right following the traffic cones and salute or acknowledge the 144 names on the memorial before departing.
Two Fairfield law enforcement officers are included on the memorial. Officer James Cavanaugh died in the line of duty on April 11, 1966 and Deputy Francis Melville Pike of the former Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department died in the line of duty on May 13, 1894.
“Peace Officers Memorial Day is a day for us to show appreciation for our colleagues in Connecticut and around the country who have given their lives in service to their community,” Chief Lyddy said. “Though this year’s memorial events have been canceled, this parade is a way for us to still show that we will never forget their sacrifices.”
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy declared May 15 each year to be Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that day occurs to be National Police Week.
National Police Week runs this year from May 10 to May 16 and is observed throughout the United States as a way to honor local, state and federal law enforcement officers who have died or been disabled in the line of duty. Formal memorial ceremonies have been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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