Let's let National Police Week be that of remembrance

Every May, communities across America pause to observe National Police Week. Flags are lowered. Names are read aloud. Candles flicker in quiet remembrance. Families stand where their loved ones once stood. Fellow officers straighten dress uniforms, pin on mourning bands, and once again face the painful reality that some chairs at the table will forever remain empty. Here in Hancock County, that remembrance takes place at the Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial outside the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge #20. On Monday evening, our community will gather for the 2026 Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial Service. The ceremony is open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend. Together, we will honor the lives and sacrifices of the men who gave their lives in service to our communities. Some of the names etched into our local history date back more than a century. Officer William Holly was killed in 1898. Captain Allen McGown died in 1913. Officer Frank Arthur in 1934. Others served in Bluffton, Fostoria, the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. More recently, our community mourned Bluffton Police Officer Dominic Francis, who was struck and killed on Interstate 75 in 2022 while deploying stop sticks during a pursuit. The passage of time does not lessen the loss. Every name on that memorial mattered deeply to someone. A spouse. A child. A parent. A partner in uniform. Behind every line etched in stone is an unfinished story and a family forever changed. This year's guest speaker is John DiPietro. John is a nationally respected voice in leadership, officer wellness, and public safety. His career has been defined not only by service, but by a deep understanding of the emotional and human weight carried by those in law enforcement. And that matters because this year's observance carries an especially heavy burden. In the last nine months, Hancock County's law enforcement community has lost three officers to suicide. In the last seven years, we have lost five. Those losses are not always formally categorized the same way as traditional line-of-duty deaths. But make no mistake: these officers served their communities. They carried the cumulative weight of trauma, stress, responsibility, public scrutiny, interrupted sleep, missed holidays, heartbreaking calls, and the expectation that they remain strong through all of it. They mattered. And they deserve to be remembered. For generations, law enforcement culture rewarded toughness and silence. Officers were trained to push through. To compartmentalize. To handle it. Many still do. But the reality is that trauma does not disappear simply because someone wears a badge. Police officers routinely encounter people on the worst day of their lives. They notify parents their child has died. They hold victims of violence. They respond to suicides, fatal crashes, overdoses, abuse, and unimaginable tragedy. Then, far too often, they clear the call and move immediately to the next one. The public sees the uniform. What they often do not see is the accumulation. That is why honoring the fallen must also mean supporting the serving. Support can look different for different people. Sometimes it is formal: peer support teams, counseling resources, wellness programs, chaplain services, or departments creating cultures where officers are encouraged to ask for help before they reach a breaking point. Sometimes it is deeply personal. It is spouses learning to recognize when something is wrong. It is officers checking in on each other after difficult calls. It is supervisors understanding that strength and vulnerability are not opposites. It is communities remembering that the people behind the badge are human beings, not machines. It is allowing officers to talk honestly about grief, exhaustion, fear, trauma, and mental health without fear of judgment or career repercussions. And sometimes, support is simply showing up. That is part of why memorial services matter. These ceremonies are not about glorifying tragedy. They are about refusing to forget. They remind surviving families that their loved ones are remembered. They remind officers currently serving that their sacrifices are seen. And they remind communities that public safety is not abstract. It is carried out every day by human beings willing to walk toward difficult and dangerous situations on behalf of others. The Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial Service will include the reading of names, ceremonial honors, reflection, and remembrance. There will be uniforms and bagpipes and solemn traditions. There will also be emotion. There always is. Because grief and gratitude often stand side by side. Community members seeking more information about Police Week events, the Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial Service, or ways to participate can visit the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge #20 Foundation website at copsandkidsfindlay.org or follow the Foundation's Facebook page for updates and event information. Retired law enforcement officers remain an important and valued part of these observances. Any Hancock County law enforcement retiree who did not receive an invitation to this year's Police Week events is encouraged to visit the Foundation website and complete the contact form so future invitations and updates can reach them directly. National Police Week asks us to remember those we have lost. But perhaps the greater challenge is what we do afterward. Whether we continue to care for the people still answering the calls. Whether we create communities where officers and first responders feel supported enough to seek help before a crisis occurs. Whether we recognize that protecting those who protect us is not weakness. It is responsibility. The names on the memorial cannot be brought back. But perhaps their legacy can help us build something better for those still serving today. On Monday evening, Hancock County will gather once again beneath the flags and memorial stones. We will hear names spoken aloud. We will bow our heads. We will remember. And hopefully, we will recommit ourselves not only to honoring the fallen, but to caring for the living. The 2026 Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial Service will be held Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at the Hancock Fallen Officers Memorial at the Fort Findlay FOP Lodge #20, 1769 S. Romick Parkway in Findlay. The public is invited to attend.