RICHMOND, Va. — Inside the Richmond Police Training Academy, the names of fallen officers killed in the line of duty were called out in remembrance Friday.
Every year during National Police Week, law enforcement agencies across the country pause to honor officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. This year, the Richmond Police Department remembered more than a dozen officers killed from the 1800s until now.
Deputy Chief of Operations Sydney Collier said the ceremony carries deep meaning for the department.
"It is about ensuring that the lives and sacrifices of our fallen officers are never forgotten," Collier said.
Stanley Meador, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, also spoke at the event.
"The right thing for us to do today is take a moment to say thank you," Meador said.
Family members of fallen officers attended the memorial and took part in a wreath laying ceremony at the department's memorial stone. Flowers were placed in the wreath as a solemn tribute while music filled the air.
Edwin Robert Stephenson attended to honor his father, Patrolman Edwin Stephenson Jr., who died at 23 years old. Stephenson was just 8 months old at the time.
"This is my father Patrolman Edwin Stephenson Jr. Great man, he was loved by many," Stephenson said. "I do everything to keep his memory alive and to me, that gives me the strength. Keeping his name alive."
For others at the ceremony, the determination to preserve a loved one's legacy spans generations. Penn Burke attended to honor his grandfather, Sergeant J. Harvey Burke, who was killed in a domestic incident.
"My father grew up not knowing his own dad but the legacy of remembering him has been within the family for the last 101 years," Burke said.
Burke keeps a picture of his grandfather and plans to continue attending these ceremonies for as long as he can, honoring the grandfather he never had the chance to know.
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