Flags at half-staff May 15 to honor fallen peace officers

Thursday, May 15, 2008
By KATHY FAIRCHILD/Staff writer

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Flags were flying at half-staff Thursday, May 15, at the U.S. Post Office and around the courthouse square in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Since 1963, the week containing May 15 has been designated Police Week in honor of those who serve in law enforcement across the country. May 15 is set aside as a special day to remember those law enforcement officers who have given their lives in the performance of their duty.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund of Washington, D.C., six Missouri law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in 2007, putting the state in the top 10 nationwide, behind Texas, Florida, California, Louisiana, North Carolina, Indiana, New York and Ohio.

More information about the memorial fund is available at www.nleomf.com.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at marshallhealth@socket.net

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There is a surprising amount of discussion online about which term to use. Generally, half-mast is used for ships (and to naval bases ashore) and half-staff is used for flagpoles on land. This isn't necessarily universal usage, as this Web site points out:

http://flagspot.net/flags/xf-half.html

-- Posted by Kathy Fairchild on Thu, May 15, 2008, at 7:23 PM