Vigil Honors Valor of Fallen Officers

Under a canopy of blue, laser-generated light, thousands of people wearing black-wrapped badges raised lighted candles in Judiciary Square at sunset to honor fallen colleagues.

As darkness fell, the candlelight and laser beams illuminated the area around the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, which recently added 358 names to its smooth gray marble panels.

Among them were 181 officers who died on duty in 2007, one of the deadliest years for law enforcement in two decades.

Four officers killed last year from the Washington area were among those honored and remembered.

Montgomery County police officer Luke T. Hoffman, 24, was at the dawn of his career when he was fatally struck by a fellow officer's cruiser during a foot pursuit in April 2007. He had graduated at the top of his police academy class and had also served for seven years with the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department in Howard County, where he had been firefighter of the year.

"He really liked serving the public and thought it was an honorable thing to do," said Jeffrey Partridge, a Maryland state trooper, as he stood in front of Hoffman's name. Mementos had been left nearby, including photos and wreaths.

D.C. police officer Wayne Pitt, 57, was also killed that April, in a traffic accident during a Good Friday procession in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, where he patrolled. Pitt had served in the Durham, N.C., police department before coming to the D.C. area.

Howard County police Cpl. Scott Wheeler, 31, was fatally injured in June as he attempted to stop a speeding motorist. Stafford County Deputy Sheriff Jason E. Mooney, 24, was killed in a crash on Interstate 95 as he responded to a call.

Traffic-related accidents were the leading cause of death for officers and claimed 83 lives across the country last year, including the four officers from the Washington area.

Speakers emphasized the sacrifice made by the officers and their families.

"As individuals, the 358 men and women we honor tonight were unique in so many ways, but as a group, they shared a common bond of service, a common heritage of bravery and selflessness," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman and chief executive officer of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

In his keynote address, U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said: "Law enforcement is not about badges and uniforms. It is about taking a stand to protect the rights of our neighbors and shield them from danger."

Joining Mukasey on the stage were House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) and the wife of J.D. Tippit, the Dallas police officer fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Steeped in solemnity, the ceremony is a centerpiece of National Police Week, which includes sports tournaments, a bagpipe march and informal social gatherings. Officers from all over the country, as well as from England, Australia, New Zealand and Italy have come for the annual events.

"We need to show solidarity to our colleagues. If you're a cop anywhere in the world, you're a cop," said Sgt. Jaiye Warwick of the London police service.

With the inclusion of the names read aloud last night, 18,274 have been engraved on the memorial. They represent officers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and federal and military police agencies. In addition to those who died in the past year, the memorial also adds names of officers who died in previous years but had not been recognized.