Arizona Officials, Families Honor Fallen Heroes At Peace Officers Memorial Service

Arizona Officials, Families Honor Fallen Heroes At Peace Officers Memorial Service

By AZ Free News |

Arizona officials including Governor Doug Ducey honored 17 fallen law enforcement officers at the 47th Annual Arizona Peace Officers Memorial Service Wednesday evening. The somber ceremony was also attended by the families and colleagues of officers who died in the line of duty.

“Through the countless dangers Arizona’s officers face, they have shown nothing but fearlessness and heroism,” said Ducey in a press release. “As we honor the officers who have fallen, we also recognize how they lived — with an unwavering dedication to keeping our communities safe.”

The memorial service honored fallen officers from across the state and their families. The event is typically held in May, but the last two memorials were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor read the names of the following officers at tonight’s memorial service:

Officer Clayton Joel Townsend, Salt River Tribal PD, End of Watch (EOW): 1/08/2019
Officer Paul T. Rutherford, Phoenix PD, EOW: 3/21/2019
Border Patrol Agent Robert M. Hotten, US Border Patrol, EOW: 10/06/2019
Detention Officer Gene “Jim” W. Lee, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 10/30/2019
Border Patrol Agent Luis Pena Jr., US Border Patrol, EOW: 12/23/2019
Officer David W. Kellywood, White Mountain Apache Tribal PD, EOW: 2/17/2020
Commander Greg S. Carnicle, Phoenix PD, EOW: 3/29/2020
Detention Officer Alvin Ramirez, Avondale PD, EOW: 6/07/2020
Officer Michael E. Lee, Navajo Division of Public Safety, EOW: 6/18/2020
Investigator Esther Charley, Navajo Division of Public Safety, EOW: 6/22/2020
Officer Jason W. Judd, Peoria PD, EOW: 7/01/2020
Sergeant Ernie Quintero, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/06/2020
Detention Officer Kevin Fletcher, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/06/2020
Officer Alfonso H. Murrieta, Dept. of Homeland Security CBP, EOW: 7/09/2020
Detention Officer Miroslaw Mroczkowski, Maricopa County SO, EOW: 7/15/2020
Officer Bryan R. Brown, Tohono O’odham Nation PD, EOW: 8/27/2020
Officer Peter Anthony Mannino, Tucson PD, EOW: 5/17/2009

“Our law enforcement officers and their families know that when they leave home every day, they may not come back. They don’t let that—or anything—stop them from serving their communities, state and country. My deepest gratitude goes to all our officers for their commitment to keeping our state safe, and my prayers are with all the officers who laid down their lives to protect fellow Arizonans.”