Hamilton County, TN – On Thursday, May 17th at 11:30 am, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will host, in conjunction with the Chattanooga Police Department, the 2018 Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony to honor the deputies and police officers from our community who were killed in the line of duty and their survivors.

This year’s program will once again take place at the Law Enforcement Memorial located at 600 Market Street and the key note speaker will be retired U.S. Secret Service Agent, Mike Pearson. Agent Pearson is also a former Chattanooga Police Officer.

On average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every (61) hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 135 law enforcement personnel were killed in the line of duty in 2017 and (51) year- to-date for 2018.

During the ceremony, local law enforcement agencies, elected officials, members of the community, and business leaders will take time to honor the sacrifice of our community’s law enforcement personnel, particularly those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Members of the community and media representatives are encouraged to attend.

There will be numerous opportunities for interviews and B-Roll footage.