U.S. Attorney's Office For The Western Disrict Of Louisiana Observes National Police Week 2013: Honoring And Remembering Our Fallen Law Enforcement Officers

Shreveport/Lafayette/Alexandria/Lake Charles/Monroe, La. : Communities across the United States will come together during National Police Week - May 12th through May 18th - to honor and remember those law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the family members, friends and fellow officers they left behind. The U.S. Attorneys will be honoring local heroes at their offices.

“Law enforcement officers face the monumental challenge of protecting and serving the public every day,” stated U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley. “They risk their lives for all of us, and the men and women of the Western District salute and remember them during National Police Week. We specifically remember those who have fallen while on duty and the legacy of service their sacrifice leaves.”

This year, the names of 321 officers killed in the line of duty are being added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. These 321 officers include 120 officers who were killed during 2012, plus 201 officers who died in previous years but whose stories of sacrifice had been lost to history until now.

The fallen officers of 2012 include two members of the law enforcement community in the Western District of Louisiana. Deputy Sheriff Randall L. Benoit, age 41, of the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office, died in an automobile accident Jan. 18, 2012. He served for 18 years and is survived by his wife. Deputy Sheriff Ricky Ray Issac Jr., age 24, of the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office, died Dec. 8, 2012, in an automobile accident as well. He is survived by his wife and newborn son.

In order to assist local public safety officers in the work that they do, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Louisiana, offers safety and survival training to increase awareness of the hazards they encounter on a daily basis. Some of the training classes offered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office this year are “Use of Force,” “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement,” “the Bullet Proof Mind,” and “Road Side Interview Techniques.” The remaining courses for 2013 focus on officer safety and survival, and they are offered at various times throughout the year. The course curriculum and sessions are overseen by the Western District’s Law Enforcement Coordinator, Michael Campbell, a former Chief of Police for the city of Shreveport. The Western District of Louisiana consists of 42 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, and the courses are open to federal, state, local, military and tribal offices.

“We have and will continue to offer officer safety and survival training to increase awareness of the hazards our public safety officers face on a daily basis,” Finley stated. “Our goal is for all public safety officers to return home to their families at the end of their shifts each and every day.”

The names of all 321 fallen officers nationwide will be formally dedicated on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., during the 25th Annual Candlelight Vigil on the evening of May 13, 2013. So that people across the country can experience this unique and powerful ceremony, the vigil will be webcast live over the Internet beginning at 8 p.m. (EDT) on May 13. To register for this free online event, visit www.LawMemorial.org/webcast.