SPOKANE, Wash., – Police agencies from all over Washington State attended the law enforcement memorial ceremony, thankful that no officers died on duty in 2023.
The ceremony has been taking place since 1987, and Spokane Police said there have been no deaths in only a couple of years since the memorial began.
Gavin Pratt with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said there is immense gratitude to not be honoring any officers this year.
“Let us remember how fortunate we are to not be adding any new names to our memorial here today,” Pratt said.
Nationwide, 137 police officers gave their lives on duty, and 56 already have done so in 2024, Pratt said.
The ceremony honored Justin DeRosier of the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office who died in the line of duty in 2019. His wife, Katie DeRosier, spoke of the comfort that can come from grieving with others.
“If there is one thing I can offer to others who are experiencing loss, it is compassion and understanding. Grief can be isolating and painful, but there are others who have walked a similar path, and that can be a source of comfort,” DeRosier said.
Since the memorial began nearly 40 years ago, 360 men and women have been honored on the memorial, along with 27 canines who have died during service.
Pratt says that while 2023 was a year to celebrate, the call to make the ultimate sacrifice will come again.
“As we honor the names of the fallen officers on the memorial, let us notice the blank spaces of granite that lay in wait in front of us. They lay in wait for the sacrifices inevitably yet to come,” Pratt said.
