Law enforcement agencies throughout the Twin Ports will gather in Superior Thursday in recognition of fallen comrades.
The Twin Port Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony begins at noon Thursday in the atrium of the Government Center, 1316 N. 14th St.
"We're the hosts this year," said Superior Police Chief Floyd Peters. Law enforcement officers from Duluth, St. Louis County, Superior, Douglas County and possibly Thunder Bay are participating in the annual event to recognize officers killed in the line of duty.
During the ceremony, members of each of the departments read the names of the officers who made the ultimate sacrifice. Speakers include Douglas County Sheriff Tom Dalbec, St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman, Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay, Superior Mayor Dave Ross and Peters.
The ceremony is held every year in recognition of Law Enforcement Memorial Week.
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As of May 5, there have been 18, 274 federal, state and local law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, 46 of them killed this year, Peters said.
"I'm really proud of our city because we get a pretty good turnout for our ceremony," Peters said. "That means a lot to the officers. I think it speaks well of the support for law enforcement in the region and it shows a lot of respect for the officers who died in the line of duty and their families. It kind of renews the respect for our current officers."
Since the Superior Police Department formed in 1889, five officers and a constable have been killed in the line of duty. Officer Roy W. Jackson in 1911, Finlay Beaton in 1919, Sgt. Arthur H. Zimmerman in 1929 and Constable A.G. Adolf Jacobson in 1941 died of gunshot wounds sustained while performing their duties. Sgt. Robert John Fulton in 1948 and struck by a car while directing traffic around a fire scene and Officer Edward B. Retzer in 1963 died of heart failure.
"There's a cost that's paid for our country and our freedom," Peters said. "They talk about that with the military, but certainly on our home ground as well. In this day and age, without law enforcement, I think there would be complete anarchy in our country."
