Annual Law Enforcement Memorial 2024

Service will honor sacri ces made by law enforcement professionals in Yuma area

The Yuma community is invited to attend the 47th Annual Peace Officer Memorial Day Services, hosted by Yuma Lodge #24 at the Fallen Officer Monument on Wednesday, May 15.

“This annual event is a special time to honor and remember our dedicated law enforcement professionals for their sacrifices in making the Yuma area a safer place to live,” wrote YPD Sgt. Lori Franklin.

The one-hour service at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex (1700 E 8th St.) starts at 7 p.m.. The honorees include law enforcement professionals who have been killed or died in the line of duty, as well as those who continue to serve.

Participating agencies at the memorial include Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS), California Highway Patrol (CHP), Imperial County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO), United States Border Patrol (USBP), United States Customs and Border Protection (USCBP), Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO), Yuma Police Department (YPD), and more.

Sheriff Cornelius Sage was the first Yuma officer to fall in the line of duty in 1865, followed by 36 more representatives of participating agencies in the area over the years. Most recently, USBP agents Alfred M. Ibarra and Luis Dominguez lost their lives in the line of duty in September 2021.

“We’ve carried on the tradition of honoring all those who have fallen in our area,” said YPD Sgt. Johnny Vidrio, Chairman of the Law Enforcement Memorial. “We’re commemorating our officers who have passed, remembering them and making sure their lives were not lost in vain.”

Lists of all peace officers that have lost their lives in the line of duty nationwide can be found at the Officer Down Memorial Page, odmp.org, including how and when they died and who they are survived by.

During the service, a joint honor guard will post the United States flag and conduct a 21-gun salute. USCBP will be responsible for a flyover. Each agency’s personnel who have passed will be recognized, and family members from across the country are scheduled to be in attendance to present a rose in honor of the fallen.

For more information on the event, email Vidrio at johnny.vidrio@yumaaz. gov.