HOUSE RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING MAY 10 THROUGH MAY 16, 2026, AS NATIONAL POLICE WEEK IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ALL POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY, the official text

H8536 2026 -- H 8536 ======== LC006037 ======== STATE OF RHODE ISLAND IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026 ____________ H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N COMMEMORATING MAY 10 THROUGH MAY 16, 2026, AS NATIONAL POLICE WEEK IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ALL POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS WHO HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE LINE OF DUTY Introduced By: Representatives Read, Noret, Hull, Fascia, Blazejewski, Shekarchi, Chippendale, Kennedy, Santucci, and Shallcross Smith Date Introduced: May 12, 2026 Referred To: House read and passed 1 WHEREAS, In 1962, President John Kennedy signed a proclamation declaring May 15th 2 of each year to be National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 3 15th falls as National Police Week. In 1994, President Bill Clinton directed that the United States 4 flag be flown at half-staff on May 15th of each year in honor of law enforcement officers who 5 have lost their lives in the line of duty; and 6 WHEREAS, During the week of May 10 through May 16, 2026, Rhode Islanders 7 remember and honor all the brave men and women serving as police and law enforcement 8 officers, and who, through the years, have made the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the public and 9 preserving the rule of law throughout our nation. In 2025, 111 police officers died in the line of 10 duty across America; and 11 WHEREAS, According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, 347 police officers 12 were shot in 2025, and in 2024 it is estimated that 85,700 police officers were assaulted while 13 performing their duties. Former FBI Director, Christopher Wray, has stated that on average, a law 14 enforcement officer is murdered more often than every five days in the United States; and 15 WHEREAS, According to the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), a nonprofit 16 organization that tracks line-of-duty law enforcement fatalities, reports that since 1791, there have 17 been more than 27,000 known line-of-duty deaths nationwide, including 54 from the State of 18 Rhode Island; and 1 WHEREAS, Each year during National Police Week, approximately 40,000 attendees 2 congregate in Washington D.C., at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial to attend 3 vigils and services honoring the memory of all the police and law enforcement officers who have 4 perished serving our nation in the line of duty; now, therefore be it 5 RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 6 commemorates May 10 through May 16, 2026, as National Police Week in the State of Rhode 7 Island in remembrance of all police and law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the 8 line of duty; and be it further 9 RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 10 transmit duly certified copies of the resolution to the International Brotherhood of Police Officers, 11 Mr. Patrick Yoes, National President, Fraternal Order of Police, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs 12 Association, and the Rhode Island Troopers Association. ======== LC006037 ======== LC006037 - Page 2 of 2