The City of Cuyahoga Falls will host the annual Police Officers Memorial Service to pay tribute to fallen officers and those who have served on Wednesday, May 17 at 10:00 a.m. at the Police Memorial, located at the Cuyahoga Falls Civic Center Campus, 2310 2nd Street. Chief Jay McDonald of the Marion Police Department will deliver the Keynote Address. Chief McDonald has served for over 30 years and has held several positions within the Fraternal Order of Police, including National Vice President and Ohio President. A reception will be held at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium after the ceremony.
Prior to the ceremony, two names will be inscribed on the memorial wall: Steven M. Polovick (2022) and Edwin R. Givens (1947). The Police Memorial was dedicated to the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Departments in 2012. Recent upgrades to the memorial include blue lighting donated by the Cuyahoga Falls Electric Department and Thompson Electric and the addition of a police statue and granite bench.
“Our police force continues to provide our citizens with unmatched services while offering the utmost professionalism and commitment to the community,” stated Mayor Don Walters. “We are proud to honor their service to our residents and thank them for their unwavering commitment to keeping our community safe.”
“National Police Week was set in place by President Kennedy in 1962 to honor all who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty and those who have served their communities past and present,” stated Steve Amos, Chairman of the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation (CFSLPMF).
The 2023 National Police Week will be observed from Sunday, May 14 through Saturday, May 20. Every year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from all over the country come together to remember and honor those officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This year, the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation partnered with the organization, Light Ohio Blue, to host an Evening Candle Light Service. A caravan of over 40 police vehicles from across Summit and Portage Counties will arrive at the Police Memorial between 8:00-8:30 p.m. The service will begin at 8:45 p.m. and feature bagpiping with refreshments afterward.
The Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation asks the public to show their support for their local law enforcement officers by displaying black and blue ribbons or flying a police memorial flag during the week. Memorial flags may be purchased from Falls Flag and Banner, with donations from each sale going to support the Foundation. With the support of city officials from both Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake, more than 230 police memorial flags and banners will fly over city streets and other public buildings. Schools, businesses, and private residents will also be flying the flag. The Foundation believes this is one of the country’s largest police memorial flag displays.
For questions or additional information, please email cfslpolicememorial@ohiofop49.org or visit www.cfslpolicememorial.org.