Thousands honor fallen officers in D.C. during National Police Week

Maddie Biertempfel
·2 min read

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Thousands of police officers from departments across the country are in Washington D.C., for National Police Week.

They’re honoring law enforcement who died in the line of duty.

At the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monday, family and fellow officers traveled from Georgia to honor Deputy Tyee Browne. He was shot and killed during a traffic stop last July.

“Thought he was helping someone who was broke down on the road,” Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock said.

Sheriff Hancock helped lay a wreath in Browne’s honor at the memorial in D.C.

“Just shows that we are a brotherhood, and they are one of ours,” Hancock said.

Browne joins the more than 24,000 names inscribed on the granite walls of the memorial, where thousands have traveled to pay tribute for National Police Week.

Seeing the names brings mixed emotions for some families.

“It’s bittersweet. It’s nice to see. It’s hard to come here though to do this,” Lynn Harris said.

Lynn and David Harris came from California to honor their son, Deputy Brett Michael Harris. He died last year in an on-duty crash.

“So easily we forget that just daily tasks they’re asked to do are life threatening and could end their life,” Harris said.

282 names were added to the wall this spring. They represent officers who died in the line of duty last year and others from 9/11-related illnesses.

“282 heroes being commemorated, celebrated,” National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO Bill Alexander said.

Alexander says the number of officer deaths has far outpaced the originally designed wall space.

“So, we have completely filled the original memorial walls in far less time than they originally anticipated,” Alexander said.

The original date for the wall to be filled was expected in 2100. Instead, it was 2024. The memorial added more granite in 2021 in anticipation.

Those newly added names will be read aloud during a vigil at the National Mall Monday night.

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