by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
As a light drizzle fell Tuesday morning in front of the Police Memorial Building on Bay Street, hundreds of police officers and family members joined city officials, judges and clergymen to honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
As the 58 names of the fallen heroes were called out one-by-one, police officers in the street and on the steps of the building answered, “absent.”
“We are so proud of the men and women of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office. Thank you for watching over us every day so we can live our lives in peace,” said City Council President Michael Corrigan.
He then read a proclamation from Mayor John Peyton designating May 13-19 Police Memorial Week and May 11 Police Memorial Day in Jacksonville.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, Sheriff John Rutherford and Fraternal Order of Police President Nelson Cuba carried a memorial wreath and led a procession of family members who have lost a loved one to the mission of law enforcement.
“These officers gave their lives to protect our community and our way of life,” said Rutherford. “We must remember not the way they died but the way they lived. Their families have laid a costly sacrifice on the altar of justice.
“I pray that these modern-day Centurions rest in peace.”