Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2012 - Historical Half-Staff Archive

Historical notice: this observance has ended. This independent FORTISVEX resource preserves a past presidential proclamation; it is not a government notice.

Remembering service and the families behind it

President Obama's 2012 proclamation honored public safety officers who protect their communities and remembered those killed in the line of duty. It also emphasized the families whose support makes that service possible, and the responsibility to care for loved ones when an officer is killed or seriously injured.

The document connected tribute with practical officer safety. It described investments in protective equipment, training, information sharing, and a planned nationwide wireless network for public safety. Those passages record the administration's priorities in 2012; they are part of the historical proclamation, rather than a current assessment of those programs.

A single memorial day within Police Week

The proclamation designated May 15, 2012, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 13 through May 19 as Police Week. The half-staff call applied to the memorial day itself. It called on governors and other government officials to direct half-staff display, and encouraged Americans to display flags at half-staff at homes and businesses that day.

Its wording does not extend the flag observance to the full week or provide numerical starting and ending times. The statutory paragraph explains the annual designation established through congressional action. May 14 is the formal document date used for this article; May 15 is the observance and May 18 is the Federal Register publication date.

Full official proclamation text

Proclamation 8821 of May 14, 2012 — Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2012
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Every day, public safety officers work tirelessly to protect our citizens, enforce our laws, and keep our neighborhoods safe. They report for duty knowing full well the dangers they face and the sacrifices they may be called upon to make. This week, we pay tribute to the thousands of men and women who serve us with extraordinary bravery, and we remember the heroes who have laid down their lives in pursuit of a safer, more just society.

While we can never fully repay them for their service, we must work to ensure our law enforcement officers are equipped with the tools and technology they need to do their jobs safely and effectively. My Administration has devoted significant resources to improving officer safety, providing bulletproof vests that have saved lives, training officers to prevent and survive potentially lethal encounters, and strengthening our ability to share information. We also continue to pursue our goal of deploying a nationwide wireless network for public safety. For the first time, this new system will give our Nation’s police officers and first responders a dedicated communication network in times of crisis—helping fulfill our promise to provide these brave men and women with tools worthy of the sacrifices they make on our behalf.

We owe a profound debt to all those who have worn the badge, and to the families whose care enables them to serve with courage and pride. When the unthinkable happens and officers give their lives or are seriously injured in the line of duty, we have an obligation to give their loved ones the support they deserve. During Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, we recall the selflessness of our law enforcement officers and their families, and we honor all those who devote their lives to forging a stronger, safer America. Let us reflect on their invaluable contributions as we enjoy the peace they bring to our communities, and let us vow that their service will never be taken for granted.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103–322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136–137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as ‘‘Peace Officers Memorial Day’’ and the week in which it falls as ‘‘Police Week.’’

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2012, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 13 through May 19, 2012, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call on Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

Official federal proclamation text from Federal Register pages 29529–29530. Page headings and line wrapping are omitted for readability; the signature is represented by the name above.

Verify the official documents

Read or download the official proclamation PDF from GovInfo · Read the Federal Register record

Find related historical directives in the Presidential Half-Staff Archive.

Signature page from the official published proclamation

Select the published page to open the official PDF.

Preparing a remembrance display

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