Crime & Safety
National Police Week: MA Officers Who Died In Line Of Duty
The names of two Massachusetts officers will be called during the National Police Officers Memorial Service.
Massachusetts law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty will be honored as part of the annual National Peace Officers Memorial Service. Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers converge on the nation’s capital for the event, which will be held Wednesday, May 15.
The names of local, state and federal law enforcement officers nationwide who died on duty will be read. Here are the officers who will be recognized from Massachusetts:
- Sean M. Gannon
- End of watch: 4/12/18
- Sgt. Gannon was shot and killed while serving a warrant in Marstons Mills. Thomas Latanowich, a "career criminal" with over 120 charges on his record, has been charged with Gannon's murder and is awaiting trial.
- Michael C. Chesna
- End of watch: 7/15/18
- Sgt. Chesna and a bystander were fatally shot when a suspect hit Chesna with a rock and stole his gun while he was responding to a report of an erratic driver. Emanuel Lopes has been charged with two counts of murder.
President John F. Kennedy in 1962 designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week as Police Week. The Memorial Service began 20 years later with about 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement gathering in Senate Park, according to the event’s website. Since then, it has grown to attract up to 40,000 attendees every year. The event, best known as National Police Week, features a series of events, including seminars and a candlelight vigil.
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A 5K race was held Saturday, the first day of National Police Week, along with the annual police dog memorial service. Sunday events included the Law Enforcement United Bike Ride, the Police Unity Tour and the DC United First Responder Night.
Those events are followed by a candlelight vigil Monday night on the National Mall and the annual Steve Young National Honor Guard and Pipe Band competitions Tuesday.
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The two-hour memorial service will begin around 11 a.m. Wednesday. Annual Tent City events, featuring music, food and adult beverages, will be held Monday through Wednesday at RFK Stadium.
Patch staffers Dan Hampton and Deb Belt contributed to this report.
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