Aurora police officers place wreaths in honor of their fallen comrades

Monday, May 15, is Peace Officers Memorial Day.

The City of Aurora honored its four fallen officers during a special memorial ceremony this weekend.

On Oct. 1, 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in honor of federal, state, and municipal peace officers who have been killed, died, or were disabled in the line of duty.

In a solemn ceremony attended by current and past Aurora police officers and community supporters, the Aurora Police Department laid wreaths in memory of Detective Alfred Olin, badge #115, killed in the line of duty on October 29, 2018, Officer Thompson Richardson, badge #113, killed in the line of duty on April 18, 1928; and the department's two most recent heroes who died from COVID-19: Officer Brian Shields, badge #347, who died on January 11, 2022, and Sergeant Kenneth Thurman, badge #488, who died on January 19, 2022. They were both 51 years old.

The United States Congress and the President of the United States have designated May 15 as Peace Officers' Memorial Day and the week in which May 15 falls as National Police Week, which this year is May 14-20, 2023.