Boston, Massachusetts – On Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 5:00 PM, Law Enforcement Officers and survivors of officers killed in the line of duty in Massachusetts will gather once again
at the memorial site, located in Ashburton Park on the grounds of the State House. The 28th Annual Memorial Ceremony will pay tribute to the 345 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty while protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth, including 2 officers to be added this year;
Sean Collier MIT Police 2013 John Lynch Boston Police Dept. 1944
The annual ceremony is conducted by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation each year to honor those who have fallen; to comfort those who remain and to remind everyone of the sacrifices made by these 345 heroes.
In addition to the surviving families and police officers who will be in attendance, other dignitaries who have indicated they will attend include; Attorney General Martha Coakley, Speaker of the House, Rep Robert DeLeo, members of the Great and General Court and Secretary of Public Safety, Andrea Cabral.
The ceremony will also mark the arrival of approx 250 officers who are bicycling from Springfield to Boston in memory of Officers Kevin Ambrose and Jose Torres who were killed in the line of duty in 2012. This is the 2nd Annual “Ride to Remember”
This year’s ceremony is particularly poignant as we add the name of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier to the memorial. Officer Collier was killed by the alleged suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing in April, 2013 during a massive manhunt for the suspects. Many of Officer Collier’s family and colleagues from both MIT Police and Somerville Police are expected to attend.
We will also honor the life of Officer John Lynch of the Boston PD who lingered for 8 years following a vicious beating he received while attempting to make an arrest in 1936. It is anticipated that a large contingent of Officer Lynch’s family will attend.