Memorial set to honor Westmoreland officers killed in line of duty

Westmoreland County police officers killed in the line of duty since 1903 will be honored this week during a memorial event in Greensburg.

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli said she hopes the event will become an annual tradition during National Police Week.

“It is their willingness to protect and serve that inspires us because we know that a country not operating under law is a country in chaos,” she said.

The public is invited to the event set to begin at noon Thursday at St. Clair Park. The agenda includes laying of a memorial wreath, prayers, remarks and song. A reception will follow at Greensburg Hose Company No. 2 on North Pennsylvania Avenue.

National Police Week was established in 1962, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Events held by the organization include a concert, candlelight vigil and a conference, as well as a memorial for fallen officers from the previous year.

There have been 20 line-of-duty deaths among Westmoreland municipal officers and several deaths among authorities who worked for state agencies in the county, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. The group did not have a county-by-county breakdown. Pennsylvania has 1,086 line-of-duty deaths, according to the page.

Last year was the deadliest for police nationwide as on-duty fatalities increased 55% from 2020, according to the memorial fund. The leading cause of death was covid-19.