National Police Week is May 11-17, and National Peace Officers Memorial Day is May 15th. Each May, communities nationwide pay tribute to the thousands of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities.
A memorial and tribute service and candlelight vigil for fallen law enforcement officers who lived or served in greater Prince William County was held on Monday, May 5 in the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Government Building. This annual event was sponsored by the Prince William County Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association and honored the lives and service of 16 men who were killed in the line of duty. They are:
Justice of the Peace Thomas Simms Meredith, Prince William County Circuit Court -July 1922
Trooper Jackie M. Bussard, Virginia State Police – May 1970
Officer Paul T. White Jr., Prince William County Police – October 1973
Investigator Claude Everett Seymour, Virginia State Police – April 1975
Trooper Johnny R. Bowman, Virginia State Police – August 1984
Sergeant John D. Conner III, Manassas City Police – July 1988
Officer Phillip M. Pennington, Prince William County Police – November 1990
Trooper Jose M. Cavazos, Virginia State Police – February 1993
Special Agent William H. Christian Jr., Federal Bureau of Investigation – May 1995
Detective John M. Gibson, United States Capitol Police – July 1998
Officer Marlon E. Morales, Metro Transit Police – June 2001
Second Lt. Francis Joseph Stecco, Fairfax County Police – October 2008
Special Agent Chad L. Michael, Drug Enforcement Administration – October 2009
Special Agent Forrest N. Leamon, Drug Enforcement Administration – October 2009
Officer Paul Michael Dittamo, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police – October 2010
Officer Chris Yung, Prince William County Police – December 2012
The tribute is a way for the community to recognize those law enforcement officers who lived or worked in greater Prince William County and who gave their lives in the line of duty. It is also a time to recognize those peace officers who continue to courageously and conscientiously maintain a delicate balance between the liberty of the individual and a high degree of social protection.
County Celebrates National Police Week
Paul Thomas White, Jr.
Philip Michael Pennington
Chris Yung
