Mayor Jodie Perry is proclaiming Police Week May 12-18 in Mansfield

Mansfield will observe National Police Week May 12-18 and Peace Officer’s Memorial Day on May 15.

The Mansfield Police Department asks residents to take this opportunity to honor the men and women who serve Mansfield as police officers and to remember the families of officers killed in the line of duty: Brian D. Evans (December 26, 2007) ; Michael R. Hutchison (February 6, 1976); William J. Taylor (February 26, 1949); and John Englehart Jr. (August 7, 1893).

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website, 136 police officers died in the line of duty in 2023, a 39% decrease from the previous year. 47 officers were shot in the line of duty, a decrease of 25%. An additional 37 officers died in traffic accidents in 2023, while 52 officers died during the performance from other causes such as falling objects, fire-related incidents and medical illnesses/events such as COVID-19, heart attacks and strokes related to their official duties.

Mayor Jodie A. Perry has designated May 12-18 as Police Week and May 15 as Peace Officer Remembrance Day in the City of Mansfield. To commemorate the officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community, Mansfield officers will wear “mourning badges” during National Police Week.

At 8 a.m. Monday, the Mansfield Police Honor Guard will honor all of Richland County’s fallen officers in a ceremony at the Mansfield Police Memorial on the south side of the plaza. At 9 a.m. the Honor Guard will participate in a second ceremony honoring the Mansfield Police Department’s fallen officers. This will take place on the second floor of the Mansfield Municipal Building and will conclude with a reading of the Police Week Proclamation. Everyone is welcome to attend both memorial services.