Fallen Virginia Officers Honored During National Police Week

WASHINGTON, DC — The names of nearly 200 local, state and federal police officers and agents who died in the line of duty in 2017 will be read Tuesday in the 37th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service. They include four officers from Virginia, two of whom died in a helicopter crash during last summer's white supremacist violence in Charlottesville.

The national ceremony in Washington, D.C., is part of a week full of activities for National Police Week, which began Sunday and continues through Saturday, May 19. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.

Tuesday's two-hour commemoration began at 11 a.m. near the west front of the U.S. Capitol. It includes both a wreath-laying ceremony and a memorial service.

These four officers from Virginia will be honored:

Deputy Sheriff Curtis Allen Bartlett, 32, who died March 9, 2017: Deputy Sheriff Curtis Bartlett was killed in a vehicle crash while responding to assist another deputy and a Virginia State Police trooper who were involved in a pursuit. He was traveling on Highway 58 when his patrol car collided with a tractor trailer that was exiting I-77. The occupants of the vehicle that was being pursued were apprehended a short time later. The driver of the vehicle being pursued was charged with driving on a revoked license resulting in death and several additional misdemeanor charges. Deputy Bartlett was a U.S. Army veteran. He had served with the Carroll County Sheriff's Office for 3 1/2 years and had previously served with the Albemarle, North Carolina, Police Department for one year. He is survived by his parents and four siblings.

Berke Morgan Matthew Bates, 40, who died Aug. 12, 2017: Trooper Pilot Berke Bates and Lt. Pilot Jay Cullen were killed when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed into a wooded area in a residential neighborhood on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, Virginia, at approximately 6:30 pm. They were in the area to monitor civil unrest that was occurring in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a large protest. The helicopter had just taken off to monitor the Virginia governor's motorcade after he arrived in the area to assess the situation. The helicopter experienced some sort of issue before crashing into the trees and becoming engulfed in flames. Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen were killed in the crash. Trooper Bates had served with the Virginia State Police for 13 years and was assigned to the Aviation Unit. He had previously served with the Florida Highway Patrol for six years. He is survived by his wife and his twin son and daughter. He was killed the day before his 41st birthday.

Henry John "Jay" Cullen III, 48, who died Aug. 12, 2017: Lt. Pilot Jay Cullen and Trooper Pilot Berke Bates were killed when their Bell 407 helicopter crashed into a wooded area in a residential neighborhood on Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, Virginia. They were in the area to monitor civil unrest that was occurring in Charlottesville, Virginia, during a large protest. The helicopter had just taken off to monitor the Virginia governor's motorcade after he arrived in the area to assess the situation. The helicopter experienced some sort of issue before crashing into the trees and becoming engulfed in flames. Trooper Bates and Lieutenant Cullen were killed in the crash. Lieutenant Cullen had served with the Virginia State Police for 23 years and was assigned as the commander of the Aviation Unit. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Special Agent Michael Timothy Walter, who died May 27, 2017: Special Agent Michael Walter was shot and killed in the 1900 block of Redd Street in Richmond, Virginia, while investigating a suspicious vehicle. He and several Richmond Police Department officers were patroling the Mosby Court public housing complex due to a recent trend of shootings and other crime. The officers were approaching a vehicle parked facing the wrong direction on Redd Street. As they spoke to the two occupants of the vehicle the passenger opened fire on them, striking Special Agent Walter. He was taken to VCU Medical Center, where he died from his wounds early the following morning. The subject who shot him fled the scene but was arrested in Northumberland County, Virginia, several hours later. Special Agent Walter was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Virginia State Police for 18 years and was assigned to the Bureau of Criminal Investigations' Drug Enforcement Section. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.

FILE PHOTO: A member of a police officer honor guard team salutes during the playing of the national anthem at the 36th annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol on May 15, 2017 in Washington, DC. The service is part of National Police Week and honors police officers across the country, and the families of those who died in the line of duty. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)