Members of the law enforcement community and the public are encouraged to attend.
Blue ribbons are available to members of the public as a part of a nationwide effort to honor law enforcement officers and pay respect to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Medford Township Police Chief Richard J. Meder announced.
The “Blue Ribbon Campaign” is held in conjunction with National Police Week. The Prosecutor’s Office and the Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association are spearheading the Blue Ribbon effort in Burlington County.
“It is imperative that we strongly and outwardly show our support for the police officers who have dedicated their professional careers, and their lives, to protecting the public and keeping us all safe from harm,” Coffina said. “These ribbons also signify our remembrance and continued gratitude and respect for those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while working for the betterment of our communities.”
Last year in the United States, approximately 145 officers lost their lives in the line of duty. The Blue Ribbon Campaign is funded each year by Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc., or C.O.P.S., which distributes more than 600,000 ribbons annually across the nation.
The ribbons have been made available to Burlington County municipal police departments for distribution to the public. Members of the public who wish to show their support should contact their local police department to receive a ribbon. The ribbons are also available at the BCPO and the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department in Mount Holly.
National Police Week falls annually during the calendar week that includes May 15, because that was the date designated in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy as Peace Officers’ Memorial Day. Several ceremonies are held annually during this time in Washington, D.C.
Locally, the Burlington County Chiefs of Police Association will host the annual Fallen Officers Memorial Service on Wednesday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. to honor Burlington County law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty. The memorial service brings together the entire law enforcement community and the public for a period of solemn remembrance.
This year’s ceremony will feature the unveiling of New Jersey State Trooper Sean Cullen’s name on the large granite monument that bears the names of all officers from Burlington County law enforcement agencies who have died in the line of duty.
Cullen died from injuries after being struck while investigating a collision on Interstate 295 in Deptford in March 2016.
The event will be held at the Burlington County Public Safety Center, located at 1 Academy Drive in Westampton. All members of the law enforcement community, the public and the media are invited and encouraged to attend.
