JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (CNN) — An annual ceremony in Missouri on Saturday drew a large crowd. Hundreds of people honored police officers who died trying to keep others safe. The overwhelming sentiment was “Thank you.”
State leaders and law enforcement officers from across the state joined family members of fallen officers during this annual ceremony.
The name of Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Parsons was added to the list of Missouri law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Last December, Deputy Parsons was assisteing with loading a woman into an ambulance when her son exited her home and allegedly fatally shot the deputy.
“It’s tough. Cops, we don’t really think about the dangers we face, but, one of the importantt things we have to remind ourselves is that we have to look at the stresses that it puts our families and loved ones under. It’s amazing, the resiliency and the courage that
these families have,” said Sgt. Kevin Ahlbrand, president of the Missouri Fraternal Order of Police.
The crowd also honored those who were killed in the past years. The white flowers in the center of the wreath that was laid at the memorial service represented dozens of Missouri fallen police officers. They also represented the survivors from the officers’ families.
Families of the fallen and law enforcement agencies from across Missouri joined Gov. Jay Nixon and Attorney General Chris Koster in placing white carnations in a single wreath honoring all law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty in Missouri.
“It’s just a constant reminder of how dangerous it is out there on the streets and how dangerous it is for our folks in uniform. It’s a constant reminder each year of how we need to thank them for what they do,” Nixon said.
State records show that at least one Missouri law enforcement officer has died in the line of duty in each of the last 102 years.