PPOA Executive Director
wquint@ppoa.com
Each year in the April issue of Star & Shield, PPOA honors and pays tribute to our California peace officers who gave their lives in the line of duty and who will be memorialized in the month of May at national, state and local ceremonies.
In 1962, President Kennedy signed a joint congressional resolution proclaiming May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week.
Two fallen officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were submitted for consideration for inclusion in the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which is in Washington, D.C., at Judiciary Square, adjacent to the National Law Enforcement Museum. There are 24,067 names of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty throughout American history engraved on the memorial walls.
Both LASD submissions (one murdered by gunfire and one who passed from COVID-19) met the National Memorial’s criteria for inclusion, and the names of our two fallen heroes will be engraved for the ages on the memorial walls prior to National Police Week, May 12–18:
- Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer
(EOW: September 16, 2023) - Sergeant Frank Murillo (EOW: February 8, 2022)
On May 13, the names of 282 officers — 118 who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2023, as well as 164 fallen from previous years that were since determined to be line-of-duty deaths — will be dedicated and read aloud during the annual Candlelight Vigil. On May 15, the roll call of heroes will be read at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on the United States Capitol lawn.
In California, the first Sunday and Monday of the month of May are dedicated to peace officer memorial ceremonies that pay tribute to those brave men and women who have died protecting the citizens of our great state. In 2023, California tragically lost four peace officers in the line of duty. All four, including LASD fallen hero Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, were murdered by criminal gunfire. On page 18, you will find the names of the eight California peace officers (four from 2023, three from 2021 and one from 1959) who will be honorably added to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial monument on the State Capitol grounds in Sacramento on May 5 and 6.
PPOA is once again proud to announce that your Association will issue a reimbursement of up to $200 for PPOA members who attend the upcoming 2024 California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento. Reimbursement eligibility is limited to the first 10 full dues-paying, active PPOA members who call the union office to register. Following the ceremony, each eligible member must submit receipts for hotel and travel expenses to PPOA for reimbursement. If you are planning to attend the Sacramento memorial ceremony and would like to be eligible for reimbursement, please call PPOA at (323) 261-3010.
On May 22, at 1900 hours, the annual Los Angeles County Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony will be held at the Biscailuz Regional Training Center. LASD Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer and Manhattan Beach Police Officer Chad Swanson will be remembered, honored and inducted at this ceremony.
It should be noted that the National Law Enforcement Memorial and the California Peace Officers’ Memorial have differing inclusion criteria. The Los Angeles County Peace Officers’ Memorial usually follows the California Peace Officers’ Memorial guidelines for inclusion on its wall.
On Saturday, March 2, PPOA President Steve Johnson hosted a Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) meeting at PPOA for Southern California families of fallen officers. The meeting was coordinated by COPS and provided family members with valuable information and resources as they plan to attend the peace officer memorial ceremonies honoring their loved one in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento.
Please make every attempt to attend at least one of the peace officer memorial ceremonies as we once again collectively and publicly commit to our profession, our communities and, most importantly, the survivors of those who made the ultimate sacrifice that our fallen heroes will never be forgotten.