Local Law Enforcement Opens National Police Week with Memorial Ceremony

The Raleigh Police Department will open National Police Week (May 12-18) with the Wake County Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Ceremony on Monday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. at Hayes Barton Baptist Church.

National Police Week is a collaborative effort of several organizations dedicated to honoring America's law enforcement community.

Ceremony Honors Fallen Officers

Twenty-three Wake County fallen law enforcement officers will be honored at the May 13 ceremony.

The list of fallen officers, departments, and end-of-watch dates are below.

• Thomas G. Crabtree, Raleigh Police Department, Sept. 1, 1922
• Guy Cecil Massey, Sr., Wake County Sheriff's Office, Sept. 10, 1933
• John L. Taylor, Wake Forest Police Department, May 30, 1944
• George C. Mitchell, Wake Forest Police Department, April 26, 1947
• Robert Earl Sparks, Raleigh Police Department, March 8, 1968
• James Gale Lee, Raleigh Police Department, Dec. 5, 1968
• James Wade Allen, Raleigh Police Department, Dec. 5, 1968
• Robert R. East, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Dec. 21, 1972
• Delma D. Adams, Raleigh Police Department, Feb. 3, 1980
• Cecil E Enlow, Wake Forest Police Department, Feb. 26, 1984
• W E Bayless III, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Feb. 5, 1988
• Denise Holden, Raleigh Police Department, Aug. 4, 1995
• William Earl Godwin, Morrisville Police Department, May 22, 1997
• Paul Andrew Hale, Raleigh Police Department, July 11, 1997
• Charles Radford Paul III, Raleigh Police Department, Sept. 10, 2002
• William F. James II, Wake County Sheriff's Office, Sept. 5, 2003
• Phil Owens, Wake County Sheriff's Office, Oct. 2, 2003
• Mark Reid Tucker, Wake County Sheriff's Office, Feb. 12, 2004
• Andrew Stocks, North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Sept. 9, 2008
• Stephon Maurice Wall, Wake County Sheriff's Office, April 22, 2018
• Ryan Andrew Hayworth, Knightdale Police Department, Oct. 17, 2021
• Ned P. Byrd, Wake County Sheriff's Office, Aug. 11, 2022
• Gabriel Jesus Torres, Raleigh Police Department, Oct. 13, 2022

The public and the media are invited to attend the ceremony honoring the sacrifices of our law enforcement personnel.

In addition, some City of Raleigh facilities are scheduled to be lit in blue during National Police Week to honor fallen officers.

Long Tradition

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices. Peace Officers Memorial Day, which annually falls on May 15, honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.