With National Police Week coming up May 14-20 and National Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15, the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni Association is hosting a tribute service in Woodbridge.
“Each May, communities nationwide pay tribute to the thousands of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities,” stated a release.
The memorial and tribute service will include a candlelight vigil for fallen officers that have served in Prince William County and the Northern Virginia area. The service will be held on May 8 at 7 p.m. at the Ferlazzo building at 15941 Donald Curtis Drive.
“This annual event – which is free and open to the public…honors the lives and service of 17 men and women who lived or served in Prince William County and died in the line of duty,” stated a release.
The 17 individuals are:
Justice of the Peace Thomas Simms Meredith, Prince William County Circuit Court -July 1922
Trooper Jackie M. Bussard, Virginia State Police – May 1970
Officer Paul T. White Jr., Prince William County Police – October 1973
Investigator Claude Everett Seymour, Virginia State Police – April 1975
Trooper Johnny R. Bowman, Virginia State Police – August 1984
Sergeant John D. Conner III, Manassas City Police – July 1988
Officer Phillip M. Pennington, Prince William County Police – November 1990
Trooper Jose M. Cavazos, Virginia State Police – February 1993
Special Agent William H. Christian Jr., Federal Bureau of Investigation – May 1995
Detective John M. Gibson, United States Capitol Police – July 1998
Officer Marlon E. Morales, Metro Transit Police – June 2001
Second Lt. Francis Joseph Stecco, Fairfax County Police – October 2008
Special Agent Chad L. Michael, Drug Enforcement Administration – October 2009
Special Agent Forrest N. Leamon, Drug Enforcement Administration – October 2009
Officer Paul Michael Dittamo, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police – October 2010
Officer Chris Yung, Prince William County Police – December 2012
Officer Ashley Guindon, Prince William County Police – February 2016
