Presidential Documents

27191

Federal Register

Vol. 63, No. 94

Friday, May 15, 1998

Title 3—

The President

Proclamation 7095 of May 12, 1998

Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This week a grateful Nation pauses to honor the more than half a million

dedicated law enforcement officers across our country who put their lives

on the line each day to protect us. These courageous and dedicated men

and women daily wage the timeless battle for right over wrong, peace

over conflict, and the rule of law over anarchy.

We ask a great deal of our Federal, State, and local police officers. We

ask them to stand between us and the forces of violence and chaos. We

ask them to protect our homes and property and to save our lives at the

risk of their own. We ask them to patrol our highways and our borders,

to keep our children safe from drug dealers and gang leaders, and to bring

to justice the murderers, terrorists, rapists, and other criminals who prey

on our society. We lean heavily on this thin blue line, and it never breaks.

Last year, in carrying out their awesome responsibilities, 158 law enforcement

officers lost their lives—and the lives of their families and friends were

changed forever. After several years of decreased violence against our law

enforcement community, we face the sobering reality that police officer

fatalities rose 27 percent during 1997.

As we honor these heroes—those who still live and work among us, and

those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our well-being—let us reaffirm

our efforts to end the violence that has taken such a heavy toll on our

Nation’s law enforcement community. Let us work to ensure that America’s

police officers have the training, resources, manpower, and community support they need to carry out the crucial responsibilities with which we

charge them. In this way we can best honor the service and sacrifice of

the thousands of fallen police officers whose memory we honor and whose

devotion to duty has earned our respect and lasting gratitude.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962 (76 Stat. 676), the Congress

has authorized and requested the President to designate May 15 of each

year as ‘‘Peace Officers Memorial Day’’ and the week in which it falls

as ‘‘Police Week,’’ and, by Public Law 103–322 (36 U.S.C. 175), has directed

that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States

of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 1998, as Peace Officers Memorial

Day and May 10 through May 16, 1998, as Police Week. I call upon the

people of the United States to observe these occasions with appropriate

ceremonies, programs, and activities. I also request the Governors of the

United States and of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as the

appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag of

the United States be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day

on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States

and all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also invite all Americans

to display the flag at half-staff from their homes on that day.
27192 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 94 / Friday, May 15, 1998 / Presidential Documents

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day

of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and

of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred

[FR Doc. 98–13205

Filed 5–14–98; 8:45 am]

Billing code 3195–01–P

and twenty-second.

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