National Police Week Culminates in National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in D.C., Where Cpl. Keith Heacook's Name is to Be Added

National Police Week will culminate in a weekend of events in Washington, D.C by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to honor all police officers who died in the line of duty. Fallen Delmar police officer, Corporal Keith Heacook, is amongst the names being added to the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial this year.

Several events have been held in Delaware in the last week to honor its  police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, including memorial ceremonies hosted by the state last week. 

This week, the Police Unity Tour passed through Delaware on its way to D.C. for the national memorial. The Police Unity Tour consists of over 2,000 police officers who bike up to 500 miles from as far as California to D.C. Our local chapter biked from Pennsylvania to D.C.

The Ronnie Williams Memorial Foundation arranged for the Unity Tour to make a quick stop in Delaware, where Cpl. Heacook's son, Matthew, met law enforcement officers from across the country.

"As he's gone through the last year in having lost his dad, we wanted to support him and his mom and their efforts," said Ronnie Williams Foundation Executive Director, Jennifer Hawkins. "So, they've been actually all over the state recently with the one-year anniversary. So, we invited them up to the event for the Police Unity Tour and he was able to meet officers from all over the West Coast that came out from that chapter. And so he met the Chief of the LAPD."

Thousands of police officers and families of the fallen will attend a Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall to remember those lost and read the names added to the memorial in the last year at 8 p.m. Friday. The whole weekend is an opportunity to connect survivors and provide workshops to families in their first year after losing a loved one in the line of duty. 

"It's really a family event, of sorts, where the blue family gets together and they're able to boost fellowship and network and support each other,," Hawkins said. "The culmination of the week comes on the night of the police memorial. The candlelight vigil happens on the mall and it's a massive event, very touching. There are special speakers and music, and it happens at sunset. And it's just a beautiful time for them to share their grief."

Events for National Police Week and National Police Day on May 15th will continue in D.C. through the weekend. Livestream information and a schedule of events is at nleomf.org.