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The Troy Police Department will hold its 45rd annual Police Memorial Day Ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate National Police Week.

On Monday, Troy Mayor Jason Reeves signed a proclamation declaring 2023 National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day.

“Words are not enough to show our appreciation for what you do,” Reeves said. “You make sacrifices, your family makes sacrifices and those that came before you made sacrifices. Some even sacrificed their life.”

The memorial service will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the Police Officers Memorial at the Troy Police Department.

Troy Police Chief Randall Barr said the memorial service is a reminder of how dangerous the job can be.

“It’s really a stark reminder of how dangerous this job is,” Barr said. “None of us are promised tomorrow, but in this job you have to run toward danger. Some officers have had to sacrifice their lives. The monument to those officers is the first thing our officers see when they arrive and the last thing they see when they go home. It’s a daily reminder of how hazardous this job can be.”

Barr will also read the Roll Call of Honor for the city’s fallen officers on Wednesday:

• Officer Will Jackson’s end of watch was June 3, 1905. Jackson was killed while attempting to arrest a man who had failed to pay his street taxes.

• Officer Jean Youngblood’s end of watch was May 21, 1962. Youngblood was shot and killed while attempting to secure a business from a man who had just robbed a bank and killed two bank tellers in Ozark.

• Sgt. Cecil Sullivan’s end of watch was Nov. 12, 1967. Sullivan died from an apparent heart attack while transporting an emergency patient from Troy to Baptist Hospital in Montgomery.

• Sgt. Billy Ray Dease’s end of watch was Jan.15, 1968. Dease died from injuries he sustained when he was struck by a car while he was directing traffic.

• Officer George Steve Watkins end of watch was Nov. 26, 1981. Watkins was shot and killed after responding to a report of an elderly man shooting a gun.

• State Conservation Officer Grady Russell Jackson’s end of watch was Feb. 12, 1984. Jackson suffered a fatal heart attack while patrolling on foot in Pike County.

• State Trooper Robert “Bob” Jones’ end of watch was Oct. 3, 1991. Jones was killed when his patrol car crashed into a tractor trailer that pulled out in front of him while Jones was responding to a reckless driving call.

On Friday, at 2 p.m., the Troy Police Department will host the final leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics.