GLYNCO, GA – Earlier this week, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas addressed over 400 members of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) community to offer condolences at the annual FLETC Graduates Memorial Ceremony.
“Today we remember 335 such individuals – men and women who served their communities and our nation; whose dedication to strengthening their skills and learning new ones brought them to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers; and who gave to the cause of our safety and security the last full measure of their devotion,” said Secretary Mayorkas. “We remember them, and we honor them because they represent the very best of America.”
Secretary Mayorkas was joined by FLETC Director Benjamine C. Huffman, who delivered opening remarks at the ceremony.
“As a part of our promise to the families to never forget, this solemn observance is a tribute to our fallen agents and officers and their families, who will forever be a part of our family,” said Director Huffman. “Their losses are a painful reminder of how difficult and dangerous the law enforcement profession is day in and day out.”
FLETC Deputy Director Kai J. Munshi served as master of ceremonies, as FLETC honored the nine fallen FLETC basic training program graduates who lost their lives in the line of duty during 2023. The graduates were from the following partner organizations: Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation; United States Capitol Police; United States Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, Air and Marine Operations, and United States Border Patrol; and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations.
Since 1986, FLETC has annually held its Graduates Memorial Ceremony one week prior to National Police Week for the agency and its Partner Organizations to pay tribute to its fallen graduates, as well as to support their families and colleagues. The original memorial, dedicated in 1986, was a three-paneled wall engraved with the names of 23 FLETC basic training graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice. Today, the nine-panel marble memorial honors 335 fallen law enforcement officers and agents, including the nine fallen graduates whose names were engraved in April, lost since FLETC’s founding in 1970.
A component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FLETC provides basic and career-long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. Through strategic partnerships, FLETC prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard the American people, property, and institutions.
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