38 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: MAY 2017 Among the many par- ticipants on the stage at the ceremony will be the Dallas (TX) Police Choir, who will share a musical tribute at the 29th Annual Candlelight Vigil on May 13. Gunned down on July 7, 2016, four officers from the Dallas Police Department and an officer from the Dallas Area Rapid Tran- sit Police Department will be specially honored this year. The five officers were pro- viding security for a march in downtown Dallas before they were ambushed by a gunman. Dallas officers Lorne Bradley Ahrens, Michael Joseph Smith, Michael Les- lie Krol and Patricio En- rique Zamarripa, as well as DART officer Brent Alan Thompson, were among the 143 officers who died while in the line of duty in 2016. “There’s no greater love than this, that these five men gave their lives for all of us,” said then-Dallas Police Department Chief David Brown at the memo- rial service for the slain of- ficers. The 251 names of law enforcement officers who were killed in past years, but just recently discovered as line of duty deaths, will also be honored during the Candlelight Vigil. Of those, 72 officers died in recent years of illnesses related to rescue and re- covery efforts at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. NYPD Detective Corey J. Diaz passed away in 2009 after his battle with pancre- atic cancer caused by ex- posure to toxins at Ground Zero. NYPD Detective Ed- win Ortiz died in 2011 of colon cancer, also related to exposure at The World Trade Center site after the attacks. They were among the hundreds of first responders who searched the rubble of the fallen towers in hopes of finding survivors after one of the worst terrorist attacks in this country’s history. It wasn’t known until much later that their efforts would lead many of them into health battles of their own. In addition to the Candle- light Vigil, the officers will be honored with the help of the Memorial Fund’s part- nership with Clear Channel Outdoor and iHeartMedia, by displaying the names and photos of fallen of- ficers on digital billboards throughout the country. Jaclyn Barrientes is the Com- munications and Digital Media Manager at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Visit www.lawmemo- rial.org for more information about law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Continued from page one Honoring Honoring our Fallen our Fallen Lorne Bradley Ahrens Dallas Police Department Michael Joseph Smith Dallas Police Department Patricio Enrique Zamarripa Dallas Police Department Michael Leslie Krol Dallas Police Department Brent Alan Thompson Dallas Area Rapid Transit Police POLICE WEEK 2017 2016 TRAGEDY: LONE GUNMAN KILLED THESE FIVE DALLAS OFFICERS • Removes weight of duty belt off hips and lower back • Enables you to perform at maximum standards • Helps keep shirt tucked in during physical activity • No need to adjust duty belt when exiting vehicle • No need to hold duty belt when engaging in foot pursuits No more back pain The Back Defender is the only concealed belt suspension system approved for police duty WWW"ACK$EFENSE3YSTEMSCOM   (or)