National Police Week: May 10-16, 2020

Ventura, CA – This week is National Police Week, a time when communities across the United States come together to celebrate the service of the men and women who serve as police officers as well as honor the memory of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

The names of 307 fallen officers nationwide will be formally dedicated during the 32nd Annual Candlelight Vigil on the evening of May 13, 2020 at 5:00 P.M. (PDT). While traditionally witnessed by more than 30,000 attendees in Washington D.C., this year’s ceremony has been transformed into a virtual ceremony to honor the nearly 22,000 memorialized there. To register for this free event, visit: https://nleomf.org/programs-events/national-police-week/candlelight-vigil

“Police Officers in the City of Ventura, the State of California, and throughout the nation put their lives on the line every day for their communities,” said Ventura Police Chief Darin Schindler. “Forty two years ago on August 7, 1978, Ventura Police Sergeant Darlon “Dee” Dowell was killed in the line of duty. We honor him this week, and always.”

In 1979, the City of Ventura re-named the street along police headquarters to Dowell Drive in honor of fallen Sergeant Dowell. Additionally, the Ventura Police Officers Association (VPOA) created a scholarship in his honor, which has awarded over $100,000 to local students.

Police Week came into effect under President John F. Kennedy’s administration in 1962 with the designation of May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. The week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

A proclamation in honor of Police Week will be presented at the May 18th Ventura City Council Meeting at 5:00 PM and live streamed here: https://bit.ly/35EohDq

For more information about National Police Week, please visit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund online at www.LawMemorial.org/policeweek.