The Mayor and Council are scheduled to issue a proclamation on May 1 declaring the week of May 14-20 as National Police Week in Rockville.
National Police Week honors law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. As in past years, Rockville police will participate in events throughout the week, including a candlelight vigil May 13 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., home of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Officers will also attend the annual Montgomery County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service at 10:30 a.m., May 3 at the public safety memorial at county police headquarters in Gaithersburg.
Cpl. J. Pfaehler will ride for the seventh time in the Police Unity Tour, a three-day, 250-mile bicycle ride between Richmond, Virginia, and the national memorial. Pfaehler is riding in honor of three police officers who committed suicide in 2016. It is the third year that he has ridden to raise awareness for mental wellness and suicide prevention within the law enforcement community. Learn more at www.policeunitytourchapter4.com.
The Rockville Police Honor Guard and Motor Units will join units from around the country to provide escorts to family and friends of fallen officers from Reagan National Airport to hotels on May 11-12. This year, 10 Rockville officers will take part. “We are proud to honor our fallen brethren by assisting their families, who have sacrificed so much,” said Sgt. Jon Berry, the unit’s commander.
Learn more at www.nleomf.org/programs/policeweek and www.rockvillemd.gov/police.