Tuesday night in Washington, there will be a candlelight vigil to honor police officers who were killed in the line of duty last year. National Police Week is observed Sunday, May 11, through Saturday, May 17, 2025.
There were 345 officers who died on the job last year in the U.S. and that includes Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge of the Burnsville Police Department. They were shot and killed during an armed standoff last February while responding to a domestic call.
Assistant Police Chief Matt Smith is among 167 people from the Burnsville Police Department at the Police Week ceremonies in Washington.
"It's sort of a culmination of all of the support and community rallying behind us that we've had over the last 15 or so months," Smith told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar. "So, it's a really powerful week, emotional and heavy week, lots of ups and downs, but just so thankful that we're able to have so many members of our department and the families here with us."
The ceremony honoring Elmstrand and Ruge includes having their names added to a memorial.
Firefighter and EMT medic Adam Finseth also died in the incident and he was honored earlier this year at the National Firefighter's Memorial in Maryland.
"The logistics that went into this were quite many, but we had a lot of good people helping us pull this off," Smith notes of the ceremony. "We couldn't have done it without the Burnsville Police and Fire Foundation and the Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police. They've been fantastic in rallying financial support for us, and we couldn't thank them enough."
In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.
To view a livestream of this event, visit here. The event begins at 7:00 p.m. CDT (8:00 EDT). 2025 will mark the 37th Annual Candlelight Vigil, on Tuesday, May 13th on the National Mall in Washington, DC.