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Memorial honors fallen law enforcement officers

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — The Quad Cities Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service honored 46 officers killed in the line of duty. Terry Engle is Chief of Police...

ROCK ISLAND, Illinois — The Quad Cities Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service honored 46 officers killed in the line of duty.

Terry Engle is Chief of Police for the Village of Hampton, he serves as Vice President of the Quad Cities Law Enforcement Officers Memorial (QCLEOM). The community of Hampton, population 1,800 has never experienced the death of an officer, but the sorrow for those lost in the line of duty is still known.

"We're all brothers and sisters in the job so every time an officer is taken from us, I mean, we all feel that pain," said Chief Engle.

Gold star families, families of fallen law enforcement officers, entered the room in a single file line behind a bagpipe player. Later in the memorial service, each family could place a single rose on a wreath in honor of their fallen loved one.

Chief Engle says small acts of appreciation from the public go a long way with law local enforcement.

"You know what, it sounds kind of hokey, but just walk up to a police officer and tell them thank you for what you do," he said. "Just a pure thank you puts a lot of gas in our tank to keep us going."

The QCLEOM encompasses officers from a 50-mile radius from the Rock Island County Justice Center. The most recent death listed on the memorial service's program was Deputy Adam V. Streicher of the Stark County Sheriff's Office from 2002. The death toll goes back to Officer Thomas D. Moore of the Muscatine Police Department who was killed in 1869.

The public was invited to attend the fifteenth annual memorial service, which was held on Sunday, May 5 2016 at Heritage Church in Rock Island. The annual event is always held on the first Sunday in May.

The next event for the QCLEOM is on May 20, 2016. The public is invited to attend a law enforcement appreciation dinner at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Convention Center in Moline, Illinois. More information on the event and how to purchase tickets can be found on the QCLEOM website, qcloem.org.

The QCLEOM is a volunteer only organization. Money raised goes toward maintaining its monument at the Rock Island County Justice Center, covering the costs associated with its annual public events, and new tragedies.

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