TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Sunday night, family and friends of Florida police officers who died on the job came together in Tallahassee for a yearly gathering to remember them.
At the start of the event, all 960 names of police officers who had died in Florida since 1840 were read out loud. In the end, there was a lighting gathering where the names of those who had died were read out by family members.
In 2017, one mom, Norma Lewis, lost her son.
“Life is not easy,” said Lewis.”I miss getting calls on the phone. I miss hearing “I love you.”
Lewis told the 11 families who lost a family member in the line of duty this past year to get help from their community.
On Sunday, the funeral for Tallahassee police officer Christopher Fariello was held. In June of last year, Fariello was killed on the job.
TPD Chief Lawrence Revell said, “It’s always much harder when you lose one of your own.” “And I’m sure that every team leader and sheriff would stand there and say the same thing.
We lost Chris this year, and both Rick and Theresa are here. So we’ll make sure to do everything we can to help them.”
Lewis ended her speech by saying that the best way to remember a loved one who died while doing their job is to continue their tradition of service.
“So when you want to cry, go ahead and do it,” she said. “Don’t cry all day, though. If you’ve gone through five tissues, you should stop. And I say that because you need that energy to help someone else.”
This sets up Florida Police Week, which begins on Monday. As part of that week of remembering, there will be a march in Tallahassee on Monday morning.
