GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It’s Police Week – and the City of Green Bay is honoring those who place their lives on the line.
A short ceremony Thursday near the memorial outside of Green Bay Police headquarters honored those who have died in the line of duty.
“We’re just under 25,000 police officers who have been killed in the line of duty since they started counting. So we have to remember those who have put their lives out there, that keep all of us safe,” said Interim Chief, Jim Runge. “The line between order and chaos is what we like to talk about. Well really, that’s what it is. People who have risked their lives to maintain that and keep the citizens safe.”
Runge says 362 officers lost their lives last year. As of Thursday morning, 124 officers died in the line of duty already this year. Just one Green Bay officer has ever died in the line of duty, and that was Patrolman George Antone Motquin back in 1951.
While the main focus of the week honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, much of the conversation shifts to current conditions in policing as a whole. Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich says it’s undeniable that the past year has been particularly challenging for law enforcement.
“I feel very fortunate to have the group officers that we have in the city of Green Bay that keep our citizens safe and it’s kind of amazing what they’ve done just in this past year,” Genrich said. “It’s important to recognize them every day but especially during Police Week.”
Genrich credited the responses to a variety of different incidents, including everything from the Oneida Casino Complex shooting to several other standoffs that were de-escalated to a pair of officers even delivering a baby in a Walgreens parking lot.
“We have a department here that serves with our residents, that polices with our residents, it’s that kind of relationship. So I’m very appreciative of everything,” Genrich told WTAQ News. “You can’t over value that kind of a situation. To have a police department, to have a fire department that are as highly regarded, that are as professional as they are, is a huge asset for any community and certainly something I’m very proud of.”
The support from Genrich and others in the community isn’t going unnoticed from the other side.
“We’re lucky to have great community support…I think as police officers, we appreciate that. We don’t hear it enough,” Runge said. “Unlike other areas in the country, we have the support of our community and our political leaders, including the mayor, the city council, the police and fire commission. We’re very fortunate for that support and we appreciate it very much…You can see it in the bigger cities, they don’t have the support, they’re afraid to do their job. Our officers are not afraid to do their job. They know that the mayor’s with them, they know I’m going to back them up, it’s huge.”
Runge also thanked all current officers for continuing to do their duty in what he called an ‘increasingly hostile atmosphere’.
“The officers that we have now are truly those who have a passion for law enforcement. We only have to look back a few days to witness the selfless devotion to duty that they portrayed when virtually every police officer those working responded to the Oneida Casino to end the tragic event,” Runge said.
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law that every May 15th will be Peace Officers Memorial Day. The week of the 15th is also established as National Police Week to pay tribute to law enforcement officers who have served, and to voice appreciation for those continuing to serve.
