Service to Pay Homage to Fallen Peace Officers today
Riverside County Sheriff Stan Sniff and area representatives will honor fallen law enforcement officers during a “Blue Light” ceremony today in Palm Desert, the first of two scheduled in the county this month.
At 6 p.m., the sheriff’s department will host a memorial at its Palm Desert station, 73-705 Gerald Ford Drive.
“During the ceremony, we will adorn buildings with symbolic blue lights, as part of the national recognition program to pay respect to our fallen law enforcement officers, who lost their lives in the line of duty,” according to a sheriff’s statement.
Sniff will deliver remarks at the service. He will be joined by county Board of Supervisors Chairman John Benoit, Cathedral City Mayor Kathy De Rosa, Cathedral City Councilman Stan Henry, newly installed Riverside County Regional Medical Center CEO Lowell Johnson, Indio City Councilman Glenn Miller, and Rancho Mirage Mayor Iris Smotrich.
Another Blue Light ceremony is set for Dec. 16 at the Riverside County Administrative Center, 4080 Lemon St.
Those slated to attend the Riverside event include Public Defender Steve Harmon, Supervisors Kevin Jeffries and Jeff Stone, as well as Riverside City Council members Steve Adams, Paul Davis, Chris MacArthur and Jim Perry.
According to the Riverside County Peace Officers Memorial Foundation, around 60 law enforcement officers from local, state and federal agencies have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the county over the last century.