Memorial service honors Dallas officers killed in the line of duty – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

The Dallas Police Department and several families gathered to remember and honor the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the city.

“The death of a police officer leaves a lasting mark on our department and our city,” Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Tuesday.

Dallas Police command personnel walked with families and city leaders Tuesday to the Dallas Police Department Memorial at the corner of Akard and Young Streets to honor their fallen.

The day’s commemorative events included bravery shots, a 21-gun salute, a Dallas police helicopter flyover, and the annual “Roll Call” – the reading of 93 names of Dallas police officers who have died in the line of duty since 1892 through 2022.

The department hasn’t added a new name this year, but a dozen Dallas police officers have been shot and injured since last year.

“It’s fantastic that there are no new names, but the dangers and risks are there and I see it every day. So it’s a very difficult task, but we’re very lucky,” Garcia said.

The danger in the workplace isn’t just shootings, a drunk driver hit police officer Mitchell Penton who was directing traffic after an accident in February 2021.

“There is no law enforcement in our family. He just decided, ‘This is what I’m going to do, I’m going to protect my city,’ and he died protecting his city,” said Penton’s father, Tim Penton.

His father says it helps to be surrounded by families who know his pain.

“We live every day to speak his name. “So it’s a great joy for us to come to a gathering where you hear his name and hear him being honored,” said Tim Penton.

Time doesn’t make things easier.

“As time goes on it gets harder because you realize, ‘Wow, it’s going to be eight years before he’s not here anymore,'” Valerie Zamarripa said.

Dallas police officer Patrick Zamarripa was one of the five Dallas police officers ambushed and killed on July 7, 2016.

His parents are a fixture at memorials and ceremonies honoring those killed in the line of duty.

“This is a club that none of us wanted to join. But once we got there, our organization – COPS, Concerns of Police Survivors – saved me,” Valerie Zamarripa said.

The Dallas Police Memorial Service takes place around May 15th each year.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed Public Law 87-726 declaring May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and a calendar week including May 15 as National Police Week.

National Police Week is a time for police officers to reflect on those killed or disabled in the line of duty, honor and support surviving family members, and remember their commitment to serving the community.