Cops Killed By Coronavirus Remembered Before National Police Week

ACROSS AMERICA — The biggest effect the coronavirus pandemic had on National Police Week isn't that activities have been postponed, but the number of police officers whose lives and careers were cut short by the virus.

While their names won’t be read at the National Police Officers’ Memorial Service until its Oct. 16 rescheduled date, they will be honored virtually during National Police Week from May 9-16 this year.

The coronavirus has been cited for 63 of the 119 police line of duty deaths in 2021 as of May 4, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, more than half.

COVID-19 caused 234 of the 362 line of duty deaths nationwide in 2020, numbers from the memorial page show. Before the virus, 150 active police officers died across the United States throughout 2019.

After the coronavirus, shootings have caused the most police line of duty deaths nationally in 2021, as “gunfire” was cited by the Officer Down Memorial Page in 19 deaths. Nine police officers died by “vehicular assault,” seven in car crashes and six were fatally hit by a car.

Texas has been the state hit the hardest by on-duty police deaths, totaling 19 in 2021 before National Police Week. Thirteen U.S. Government police officers have died, and Georgia (11) and Florida (10) are other states that have lost police officers in the double digits. Six police K-9 officers have also died while active with their local police departments in 2021 as well.

President John F. Kennedy in 1962 designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week as Police Week. The Memorial Service began 20 years later with about 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement gathering in Senate Park, according to the event’s website.

Since then, before the pandemic it had grown to attract up to 40,000 attendees every year.

The National Police Week schedule features a series of events, including seminars and a candlelight vigil. Due to the coronavirus, the candlelight vigil has been put off to Oct. 14, and the national police survivors conference to Oct. 15.