Motorists, pedestrians and students from the Julius E. Sprauve School had a chance to view a banner hung in Cruz Bay on Friday by members of the Virgin Islands Police Department.
This year, V.I. Police Week starts Monday, May 13, and National Law Enforcement Memorial Day activities are scheduled for Wednesday, May 15. The Virgin Islands has a custom of honoring police officers who have died in the line of duty over the years.
Nine names appear on the memorial banner; some of those names — Colvin Georges (2012), Ariel Frett (2007), Steven Hodge (1994) and Richard Callwood (1980) have also been acknowledged among fallen officers listed on the Officer Down Memorial webpage or inscribed on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Memorial. The ninth name — Detective Delberth Phipps Jr. — is the latest addition. Phipps was killed in an armed confrontation with a gunman on St. Thomas on July 4, 2023.
A motorcade from the Western Cemetery to the Farrelly Justice Complex is planned for May 15 to remember those officers, starting at 3:30 p.m. A wreath laying ceremony is expected at the end of the event.
