Peace Officer Memorial Day was created on October 1, 1961, when Congress authorized President John F. Kennedy to designate May 15 to honor peace officers. He signed the bill into law on October 1, 1962. Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week is an observance in the United States that pays tribute to the local, state, and federal peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty. The Deer Park Police Department honors those officers who lost their lives in 2019.