by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Sixty Jacksonville police officers have been killed in the line of duty since 1840. Wednesday at the Police Memorial Building on Bay Street, their sacrifice was remembered and honored at the annual Police Memorial Day Observance.
With a 21-gun salute, poems, prayers, hymns and “Amazing Grace” played on bagpipes, family members and friends of the fallen remembered their loved ones. They were joined by City officials, elected officials, representatives of state and federal law enforcement agencies and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The City’s Chief Administrative Officer, Kerri Stewart, read a proclamation signed by Mayor John Peyton designating May 9-15 as Police Appreciation Week and May 14 as Jacksonville Police Memorial Day.
Sheriff John Rutherford said the day was particularly poignant because it was the anniversary of the death of Deputy J. Thomas Watts, who was killed while attempting to arrest a suspect on May 5, 1933.
“The men we honor here today faced their fears and went places others would not,” said Rutherford. “Our community is a better place because of them. It is fitting that we pause to reflect on their commitment to peace and justice.”
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