[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 15, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 42333-42334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10764]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 15, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 42333]]


                Proclamation 10755 of May 10, 2024

                
Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Every day, police officers pin on their shields and 
                walk out the door, rushing into harm's way to keep the 
                rest of us safe. Being a police officer is more than 
                what they do--it is who they are. On Peace Officers 
                Memorial Day and during Police Week, we recognize the 
                incredible courage of our Nation's police officers and 
                honor the fallen heroes, whose ultimate sacrifice we 
                can never repay.

                During the pandemic, States and cities saw violent 
                crime rising as they faced deep cuts in law enforcement 
                and public safety budgets. That is why the American 
                Rescue Plan, one of the first bills I signed as 
                President, provided $350 billion that States could use 
                to keep law enforcement on the beat and communities 
                safe from violence. That led to the largest Federal 
                investment in public safety in our history. Police 
                departments used that funding to establish training 
                facilities, hire more officers, and raise salaries. I 
                also expanded benefits for first responders disabled in 
                the line of duty and for their families. I increased 
                access to mental health resources for police officers, 
                who too often experience emotional and physical trauma 
                on the job. Supporting our police officers with 
                resources they need to do their jobs has paid off. Last 
                year, the United States had one of the lowest rates of 
                violent crime in more than 50 years.

                My Administration recognizes that being a police 
                officer is harder than ever. We expect them to be 
                everything to everyone--counselors to people 
                experiencing a crisis, social workers to kids who have 
                been abandoned, and guardians to communities flooded 
                with weapons of war. That is why we have invested in 
                more crisis responders who work alongside police 
                officers to respond to non-violent crimes. We have also 
                increased investments in recruiting, retaining, and 
                training officers and in violence prevention to get 
                guns off the streets. We are working hard to strengthen 
                the bonds of trust between officers and the people they 
                serve. My Budget requests over $10 billion to recruit, 
                train, support, and hire 100,000 additional police 
                officers trained in effective, accountable community 
                policing--working hand in hand with community leaders 
                and local partners to gain trust and advance public 
                safety.

                My Administration has also taken historic action to end 
                the scourge of gun violence in America, which puts far 
                too many police officers at risk. To date, my 
                Administration has taken more executive actions to stop 
                the flow of illegal guns than any other administration 
                in history. I formed the first-ever White House Office 
                of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President 
                Harris. I signed the most significant gun safety law in 
                nearly 30 years. I appointed the first Bureau of 
                Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) 
                Director to lead the agency in over 7 years, who has 
                since led efforts to crack down on gun trafficking, 
                ghost guns, rogue gun dealers, and unlicensed sellers 
                that fuel the flow of illegal firearms. I continue to 
                call on the Congress to ban assault weapons and high-
                capacity magazines, require safe storage of guns, fully 
                fund ATF, and pass universal background checks and a 
                national red flag law.

[[Page 42334]]

                This year, we also honor our Nation's law enforcement 
                families, who serve and sacrifice alongside their loved 
                ones. Every day, they summon courage as their loved 
                ones put on their badges and leave for work, praying 
                for their safe return home. To those who have lost a 
                loved one who served, I know that no memorial can fill 
                the void left in your heart. But I hope you find solace 
                in knowing that their memory lives on through you, the 
                community they served, and all those that they inspired 
                through their example. Our Nation will never forget 
                their sacrifice.

                Last year, I bestowed six law enforcement officers with 
                the Medal of Valor for going to unimaginable lengths to 
                protect their fellow citizens. They exemplified a 
                selflessness of character and a bravery that inspires. 
                On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, 
                let us show our gratitude for all the women and men of 
                our Nation's law enforcement community, who make 
                extraordinary sacrifices every day. Let us honor the 
                memory of those who have fallen in service to their 
                fellow Americans. Let us recommit to supporting the 
                people in uniform and their families, who ensure the 
                safety of our communities all across the Nation.

                By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as 
                amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as 
                amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been 
                authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each 
                year as ``Peace Officers Memorial Day'' and the week in 
                which it falls as ``Police Week.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 
                15, 2024, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 12 
                through May 18, 2024, as Police Week. I call upon all 
                Americans to observe these events with appropriate 
                ceremonies and activities and salute our Nation's brave 
                law enforcement officers and remember their peace 
                officer brothers and sisters who have given their last 
                full measure of devotion in the line of duty. I also 
                call on the Governors of the United States and its 
                Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of 
                government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-
                staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further 
                encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-
                staff from their homes and businesses on that day.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-10764
Filed 5-14-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P