Law enforcement officers, local officials, and community members gathered Thursday at the Soldotna Police Department for a solemn ceremony honoring Alaska peace officers who have fallen in the line of duty. The event marked the return of the Kenai Peninsula Police Memorial Service, coinciding with National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
The ceremony included a symbolic rose-laying beneath the American flag as Soldotna Police Chief Stace Escott read aloud the names of 69 officers who have died in Alaska while serving in municipal, state, and federal law enforcement, including two K-9 officers.
VFW veterans served as the color guard, presenting the flags and offering a 21-gun salute, followed by the playing of Taps. The Soldotna High School choir performed the national anthem, and Soldotna Mayor Paul Whitney delivered a proclamation formally recognizing May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 11–17 as Police Week in the city.
Dignitaries in attendance included Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche, Soldotna Mayor Whitney, Kenai Police Chief Dave Ross, Alaska State Trooper A-Detachment Commander Mike Zweifel, and Department of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockrell.
Sgt. Tobin Brennan of the Soldotna Police Department, who helped organize the ceremony, said the event was held for years on the Peninsula but had gone dormant since 2004. With the support of law enforcement leaders across the region, he hopes to make it an annual tradition again.
“Anchorage has a big ceremony each year, but it’s hard for our people to get up there,” Brennan said. “We wanted to bring this back to the Peninsula so our officers and their families could have a place to honor and remember those we’ve lost.”
Brennan noted that while the Kenai Peninsula has been relatively fortunate compared to other areas in the state, the loss of Kenai Police Officer John Watson—killed on Christmas Day in 2003—still looms large in the community’s memory.
“We sign up for this job knowing the risks,” Brennan said, “but our families don’t. The sacrifices they make—the sleepless nights, the worry, the waiting—deserve our recognition just as much.”
As the ceremony concluded, Brennan reaffirmed the department’s commitment to continuing the memorial each year.
“This is about giving our people a place to pay their respects, and we hope this becomes a lasting tradition,” he said.
