FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Members of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Gathered Thursday at Courthouse Park for the annual Peace Officers Memorial ceremony honoring officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The ceremony took place at 12:00 p.m. in the southwest portion of Courthouse Park and brought together members of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office along with other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Officials say the event serves as a tribute to every line-of-duty death across law enforcement agencies in Fresno County.

This year marked the 28th anniversary of the Fresno County Peace Officers’ Memorial.

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The memorial was first established in 1997 by the Fresno County Peace Officers’ Memorial Foundation to formally recognize fallen officers throughout the county.

The names engraved on the memorial date back to 1889, with 64 men and women now honored on the granite monument.

The local ceremony coincides with National Police Week, observed each May across the United States, with Peace Officers’ Memorial Day falling on May 15.

The national observance was established after President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation into law in 1962.

Much of the national remembrance centers on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which bears the names of more than 20,000 officers killed in the line of duty dating back to 1791.

During National Police Week, officers across the country traditionally wear black mourning bands over their badges in honor of fallen colleagues.

Officials say Thursday’s ceremony served as a solemn reminder of the risks law enforcement officers face and the sacrifice made by those who gave their lives in service to their communities.