As the names of fallen law enforcement officers are read aloud in solemn gatherings for National Police Week, the FBI paused to honor its law enforcement partners and remember two of its own who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“It’s an important time to honor the extraordinary courage and commitment of our brothers and sisters in law enforcement and to recognize those who have laid down their lives protecting the communities they served,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a video commemorating Police Week.
The annual observance dates to 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which the date falls as Police Week.
Director Kash Patel, right, and Assistant Director Robert Contee pause for a moment after laying a wreath in honor of fallen FBI personnel on May 13, 2025, at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
In his brief time as Director, Patel said, he has called police chiefs and sheriffs when their departments have lost an officer in adversarial action in the line of duty.
“Although I’ve been in this position for less than three months, I’ve already made far too many of those calls,” Patel said.
Earlier this week, Director Patel led a memorial service at FBI Headquarters as the names of a special agent and an evidence technician were added to the FBI’s Wall of Honor to recognize their sacrifices.
Special Agent Donald Kleber and evidence technician Melica Sanders both supported rescue and recovery efforts in New York following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Kleber worked at Ground Zero sorting through debris from the fallen towers of the World Trade Center. Sanders deployed to the Fresh Kills Landfill where she sifted through crime scene materials collecting and documenting evidence. Both developed illnesses after exposure to carcinogens and died as a result.
“They were our friends and colleagues, and their legacy of courage and commitment to duty inspires all of us.”
FBI Director Kash Patel
“Sadly, far too many who made the ultimate sacrifice have been our own FBI colleagues,” Patel said in a May 12 message to FBI personnel. “They were our friends and colleagues, and their legacy of courage and commitment to duty inspires all of us.”
The inherent dangers of law enforcement and public safety work were front and center early this week when the FBI issued a report on the number of law enforcement officers killed and assaulted in the line of duty.
Last year, 64 officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty; another 85,730 were assaulted, according to the “Officers Killed and Assaulted in the Line of Duty, 2024 Special Report.” The annual report, compiled by the Bureau’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, is based on data voluntarily provided by law enforcement agencies to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report Program.
A candlelight vigil on the National Mall is one of the centerpieces for National Police Week, which regularly draws 25,000 to 40,000 visitors to the nation’s capital.
National Police Week events include a Blue Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., followed by a parade honoring first responders along 10th Street near FBI Headquarters.
The annual observance dates to 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which the date falls as Police Week.
On Tuesday, May 13, a candlelight vigil on the National Mall, organized by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, included a roll-call of officers who died on the job in 2024. The organization’s memorial—a short distance from the U.S. Capitol—features two curving, 304-foot marble walls engraved with the names of more than 22,600 officers who have died while performing their duty since 1791.
Police Week regularly draws 25,000 to 40,000 visitors to the nation’s capital. The observance comprises several events—including some that occur before Police Week officially starts.
These collective events include the Blue Mass at St. Patrick Catholic Church; a Police K-9 Memorial Service at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial; a 5K fundraising run; the arrival of the Police Unity Tour, where more than 2,000 bicycle riders simultaneously arrive in Washington, D.C.; the annual candlelight vigil; and the National Peace Officers Memorial Service on May 15 at the U.S. Capitol.
