Alaska law enforcement officers gather for Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Alaska Department of Public Safety held its annual Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony Tuesday outside of the Alaska Scientific Crime Detection Lab in Anchorage to honor the 69 officers who have died in the line of duty in Alaska.

Alaska Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell said it’s not only a day to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice, but also a day to remember the commitment officers from all agencies have to one another even after they’re gone.

“It’s a reminder for the families that we’re not going to forget them, because once you’re a family of a law enforcement officer, you’re family for good,” Cockrell said. “The folks that have lost their lives with the Alaska State Troopers, they’re going to be in our DPS family forever, even past me.”

During the service, names of the 69 officers on the federal, state, and local levels who have died on the job in Alaska were read aloud, and a bell was rung after each name.

This year, no new names were added to that list of 69 fallen officers, DPS Communication Director Austin McDaniel said. He said Officer Curtis Worland was the officer most recently added to the list.

Cockrell, a former Major in the Alaska State Troopers, said he’s personally experienced losing officers — including Trooper Gabriel Rich and Trooper Scott Johnson, who were both killed in the line of duty in 2014 — saying it’s a pain that is never forgotten.

“I’ve lost the last two troopers when I was Colonel, I lost Scott and Gabe,” Cockrell said. “Those memories will always be with me. And the real reason, why would somebody take their lives? For what I’d say is it was a minor offense, it’s just really hard to explain.

“It’s hard to articulate the pain and suffering that comes not only for me, but all the law enforcement agencies, all the law enforcement officers in the state.”

National Police Week was observed from May 11 to May 17, with Peace Officers Memorial Day falling in the middle, on May 15.

According to McDaniel, Anchorage typically holds its own ceremony either before or after Police Week to allow for families of fallen officers to attend the national ceremony in Washington D.C.

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