Local CAVIT students attend National Police Week ceremonies

Twenty students from the Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology’s Law Enforcement Program attended National Police Week in our nation’s capital May 12-16.  They were there to honor law enforcement heroes from across the country who have paid the supreme sacrifice and lost their lives in the line of duty.

While in Washington, DC the students had an opportunity to participate in the candlelight vigil honoring those heroes and supporting their families, as well as attending the National Law Enforcement Memorial Service held on the front lawn of the capitol building.

Each May 13, as part of National Police Week, the newly engraved names of officers killed in the line of duty are read aloud and formally dedicated on the National Memorial during the candlelight vigil. An estimated 20,000 people attend the ceremony each year, including surviving family members, friends, law enforcement colleagues and others.

CAVIT Cadet Stephanie Diaz commented, “It is so sad to see the children of these fallen officers who really don’t understand what all of this means. This experience really reminds you these officers were more than just cops, they had lives and families, and the impact their deaths have on all of us is incredible.”

In 2009 116 officers died in the line of duty, the lowest law enforcement fatality total since 1959, when 109 officers were killed. The monument in Judiciary Square now contains the names of 18,983 law enforcement officers who have died in law enforcement service throughout U.S. history from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federal law enforcement and military police agencies. Sadly, law enforcement line of duty deaths are up 34 percent to date in 2010.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial is another focal point of the National Police Week observance in Washington, D.C.  This year’s memorial was held on May 15 on the front lawn of the Capitol Building, and the students had the honor of hearing LeAnn Womack sing “There is a God,” as well as an address by President Barack Obama. CAVIT Student Andrew Nelson said, “I think the National Memorial Service was the best part of the trip for me. It was awesome to have an opportunity to listen to an in-person speech given by the President of the United States while honoring true American heroes.”

The students, all members of the Law Enforcement Program at CAVIT, tirelessly raised the money needed   to fund their trip. They hosted fundraisers and worked for donations at special events throughout Pinal County.  “Lieutenant Tamatha Villar was instrumental in making this trip a reality for my students. She spearheaded the fundraising efforts and made all the travel arrangements both before and during the trip,” commented Brian Kenney, CAVIT Law Enforcement Instructor. 

Lieutenant Villar, however, credits all those who generously donated money and participated in the inaugural Ride to Remember, a motorcycle ride which was one of the primary funding sources of the trip, as the ones who made this trip possible. “I am so thankful we had an opportunity to travel to our nations beautiful capital with these amazing students, our future law enforcement officers, to pay our respects and honor our fallen brothers and sisters. This trip would not have been possible without the support of all those who donated money and their time, especially Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, Pinal County Attorney Jim Walsh, the Saddlebrooke Community Outreach and Eloy Governor’s Alliance Against Drugs. Without their generosity  this trip may not have been possible. The valuable life lessons these students have learned will certainly follow them for a lifetime.”  

The students also visited many of the city’s museums, which included the Smithsonian’s American History Museum, Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History and many other memorials and monuments located in Washington, DC.

“To have had this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Washington, DC, and participate in the Police Week ceremonies was very rewarding, and I felt honored to be able to show my sincere appreciation to those who sacrificed their families and ultimately their lives so we can all live in peace.” said CAVIT student and Santa Cruz Valley Union High School Senior Miguel Roman.  “I am grateful for all our law enforcement officers who work to ensure we are safe and am very proud of each of our fallen heroes for making such sacrifices to keep America safe. Law enforcement officers, past and present, are the true heroes of this world.”

Submitted photo

Photo:  CAVIT law enforcement cadets with PCSO Commander Ruben Montano, PCSO Lt. Tamatha Villar and CAVIT Instructor Brian Kennedy at the National Law Enforcement Memorial at the Capital in Washington D.C.