National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day

At the Monday, May 13, 2024 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved Proclamation No. 2024-022 declaring May 12 - May 18, 2024 as National Police Week and Wednesday, May 15, 2024 as Peace Officers Memorial Day. 

May 15 was designated by Presidential Proclamation in 1962 by President John F. Kenney, as Peace Officer Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week, to honor those who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty. 

There are currently more than 800,000 law enforcement officers serving in communities across the U.S., including local agencies such as the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Nassau County Sheriff's Office and the Fernandina Beach Police Department. Since the first recorded death in 1786, there have been 26,567 law enforcement officers in the U.S. who made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed in the line of duty. In 2023, 282 new names of fallen heroes were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, including 118 killed in 2023. 

To date, Nassau County has suffered the loss of thirteen (13) Law Enforcement Officers, heroes who have fallen in the line of duty, including 8 from the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, 1 from the City of Fernandina Beach, 1 Florida Highway Patrol Officer, 2 from the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Law Enforcement, and 1 Hilliard Constable. 

We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Law Enforcement Officers for safeguarding life and property in Nassau County and protecting us against violence and disorder.