The City of Cuyahoga Falls will host the annual Police Officers Memorial Service to pay tribute to fallen officers and those who have served on Wednesday, May 15, at 10:00 a.m. at the Police Memorial, located at the Cuyahoga Falls Civic Center Campus, 2310 2nd Street. Gregory Nelson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Cleveland Office, will deliver the Keynote Address. Special Agent Nelson joined the FBI in 2001 and has held several positions within the FBI, including Supervisory Special Agent at the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate at FBI Headquarters, Supervisor of the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Buffalo, and Deputy Assistant Director of the CJIS Division’s Operational Programs Branch.
“The Cuyahoga Falls Silver Lake Police Memorial is an eternal tribute to past, present, and future officers that have dedicated their lives in service to their community and country,” stated Steve Amos, Chairman of the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation (CFSLPMF).
Prior to the ceremony, three names will be inscribed on the memorial wall: Howard (Mike) McClain, who served the City of Cuyahoga Falls for 31 years from 1966 to 1997; Dr. Charles Benko who served the City of Cuyahoga Falls for 29 years from 1977 to 2006, and James (Jim) Decoulos who served the City of Cuyahoga Falls for 29 years from 1977 to 2006. The Police Memorial was dedicated to the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Departments in 2012.
“Our police force continues to provide our citizens with unmatched services while offering the utmost professionalism and commitment to the community,” stated Mayor Don Walters. “I am proud to honor our officers, both past and present, and their unwavering commitment to our community.”
The 2024 National Police Week will be observed from Sunday, May 12, through Saturday, May 18. Every year, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from all over the country come together to remember and honor those officers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. This year, the Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation partnered with the organization, Light Ohio Blue, to host a caravan of over 40 police vehicles from across Summit and Portage Counties. Cruisers will arrive at the Police Memorial at 5:00 p.m. and the service will begin shortly after. The caravan will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium and end at the Akron Rubber Ducks Stadium.
The Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake Police Memorial and Honor Guard Foundation asks the public to show their support for their local law enforcement officers by displaying black and blue ribbons or flying a police memorial flag during the week. Memorial flags may be purchased from Falls Flag and Banner, with donations from each sale going to support the Foundation. With the support of city officials from Cuyahoga Falls and Silver Lake, more than 230 police memorial flags and banners will fly over city streets and other public buildings. Schools, businesses, and private residents will also be flying the flag. The Foundation believes this is one of the country’s largest police memorial flag displays.
For questions or additional information, please email cfslpolicememorial@ohiofop49.org or visit www.cfslpolicememorial.org.