LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) -Law enforcement agencies across East Mississippi will gather Thursday to honor officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, as part of the 2025 National Police Week observance.
The memorial ceremony is set for Thursday, May 15, at 11 a.m. at the flagpole of the Lauderdale County Government Center, located at 2400 Government Boulevard in Meridian.
“We will pay tribute to and honor the service and sacrifice of officers killed in the line of duty,” said Major Brian Fortenberry of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department.
The event will include remarks from several speakers, the reading of a formal proclamation, and a special recognition by department leaders across the region of their fallen officers.
A central part of the observance will feature heads of law enforcement agencies from across the East Mississippi area — which includes Lauderdale, Clarke, Jasper, Kemper, Newton and Neshoba counties — acknowledging the service and sacrifice of officers from their respective departments.
National Police Week is observed annually in May. It was established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962 after President John F. Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and designated the calendar week in which it falls as National Police Week.
This year’s observance runs from May 11–17 and serves as a time for communities across the country to recognize the men and women in law enforcement who have died while serving and protecting others.
