Fallen Virginia Officer To Be Honored For National Police Week

A Virginia law enforcement officer 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. The list of officers who will be recognized includes Officer Hunter Edwards, 30, of the Winchester Police Department.

A four-year veteran of the police department, Edwards was killed in a single-vehicle crash on Nov. 24, 2018. Edwards had been responding to a call about a fight, according to Winchester Police. According to NBC Washington, he had just married months before and followed in his parents' footsteps to work in law enforcement.

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.

A 5K race will be held Saturday, the first day of National Police Week, along with the annual police dog memorial service. Sunday events include the Law Enforcement United Bike Ride, the Police Unity Tour and the DC United First Responder Night.

Those events will be followed by a candlelight vigil Monday night on the National Mall and the annual Steve Young National Honor Guard and Pipe Band competitions Tuesday.

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.

Here are the local events around Northern Virginia and DC:

• May 11: National Police Week 5K, 9 a.m., 450 F Street NW Washington, DC (near National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial)
• May 11: NLEOMF Cadet Ceremony, 11 a.m. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 400 East Street NW, Washington DC.
• May 11: Annual Police K-9 Memorial Service, 1 p.m., National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 450 F Street NW, Washington, DC
• May 12: Law Enforcement United (LEU) Bike Ride, 1 p.m., Fort Hunt Park, 8999 Fort Hunt Road, Alexandria VA
• May 12: Police Unity Tour Arrival Ceremony, 2 p.m., National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 450 F Street NW, Washington, DC
• May 13: 31st Annual Candlelight Vigil, 8 p.m., National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets, Washington, DC
• May 14: National Police Survivors Conference and C.O.P.S. Kids/Teens, Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel, 5000 Seminary Road, Alexandria, VA
• May 14, 16: Steve Young National Honor Guard Competition and Pipe Band Competition, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., west front of the United States Capitol, Washington, DC
• May 15: 38th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service, 11 a.m., west front of the United States Capitol, Washington, DC

Patch staffers Dan Hampton and Deb Belt contributed to this report.