RALEIGH, N.C. (WGHP) — Flags are flying at half-staff across North Carolina. National Peace Officers Day.
President Joe Biden released a proclamation Friday recognizing Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Officers Week. Gov. Roy Cooper's office on Tuesday ordered all state flags and U.S. flags on state facilities to be flown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset Wednesday.
National Peace Officers Remembrance Day is observed annually on May 15th. This day is a day of remembrance for law enforcement officers killed or injured in the line of duty.
“Today, we honor the memory and sacrifice of North Carolina's brave law enforcement officers,” Cooper said. “We are deeply grateful to those who risk their own safety to protect our communities.”
“Every day, our police officers put up their shields and charge out the door and into harm's way to keep us safe,” Biden said in his proclamation. It's not just what they do, it's who they are. On Memorial Day and Police Week, we celebrate the incredible courage of our nation's police officers. , we pay tribute to our fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice that will never be rewarded.”
That day especially comes in a few weeks. Four Charlotte police officers were killed in the line of duty on April 29th.. The four officers were members of a U.S. Marshals task force that attempted to execute the warrant at the suburban home. According to reports, the suspect was a felon who illegally possessed a weapon.
The slain officers were Samuel “Sam” Polosh and William “Alden” Elliott, both veterans of the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections and special operations and intelligence units for 14 years. . Officer Joshua Eyer is a six-year veteran of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. and Thomas M. Weeks, a 13-year veteran deputy U.S. marshal.
The state is asking all North Carolinians to participate in the flag lowering in memory of law enforcement officers killed or injured in the line of duty.