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Across the country, United States flags were lowered to half-staff in recognition of Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day of observance honoring officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
As part of the nation’s Police Week, flags at half-staff are meant to remember fallen officers and the families they left behind, according to the White House. The day also serves as a remembrance for officers who were also injured and still wear the badge.
Started by President John F. Kennedy and a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, every May 15 is National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the calendar week in which the date falls is National Police Week, with a request that flags fly at half-staff. As part of a proclamation by President Donald Trump earlier this week, he called for the days of May 10 through 16 to be a week in which Americans can observe fallen officers through ceremonies and activities, and he called on governors and other officials to lower flags.
The lowering of the flag is governed by the US Flag Code, which states the flag should be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day — a tradition intended to display a visible sign of mourning and national respect for officers who died in service.
Trump took the opportunity in the proclamation to address “soft-on-crime policies, rampant illegal immigration, and reckless cashless bail programs” that he claims have contributed to surging crime rates at the detriment of officers and cities being needlessly put in harm’s way.
“The officers standing on the front lines never faltered in their duty to protect the innocent and confront the guilty, yet they were too often hindered, and even punished, for carrying out the mission they had sworn to uphold,” the president wrote.
Throughout the week, various services and ceremonies were held, including a candlelight vigil on Tuesday and a memorial service on Friday, during which Vice President JD Vance delivered a tribute.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a DC-based non-profit that honors fallen officers, there were 363 officers added to the memorial in 2026. Of those, 109 were killed in 2025, and an additional 254 officers died in previous years, with many of their stories untold.
To further the memorial initiative, some individual states and cities posted their own tributes, including the Tampa Bay Police Department, which shared a video honoring its own 32 officers lost in the line of duty.
Despite the honorable intention, social media naturally reacted to those supporting the day in accordance with the president’s proclamation.
“You’re a supporter of the Pedophile in Chief. He hates Peace Officers, and is actively trying to emasculate them by pardoning and giving TAX MONEY to Jan 6 rioters,” one person wrote on X.
Others, however, took a more empathetic approach.
“No matter people’s politics, honoring officers who lost their lives protecting others should never become controversial,” wrote another.
