Representatives from the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office traveled to Alexandria on May 15 to take part in the 29th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony.

NPSO Chief Deputy Darrel Winder and Detective Sgt. Cody Olliff attended the event, which was hosted by the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office at the Rapides Parish Courthouse.

Over 100 members of law enforcement agencies throughout Central Louisiana gathered to commemorate the men and women who gave their lives in service to their fellow citizens. The moving ceremony included a 21-gun salute, Taps, a caparisoned horse, a lowering of the flag to half-mast and a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace. Alexandria Mayor Jaques Roy delivered the Keynote address. In a poignant reminder of the cost of protecting our communities’ safety, a roll call of the 36 members of local law enforcement who lost their lives in the line of duty from 1897 to the present day was conducted with men and women from various departments answering for them. NPSO Sergeant Cody Oliff answered the roll call for Deputy Ricky Issac, Jr.

This annual ceremony ensures that the memory of the men and women whose lives were taken from us all to soon does not fade away. It is part and parcel of what Sir Winston Churchill called “the long continuity of our institutions.”