Beginning with a moving video tribute and ending with a lone Marine bugler, the Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony paid tribute Thursday to those officers who have died in the line of duty.

Held at the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Department Administrative Complex in Slidell, the ceremony brought together hundreds of deputies, police officers, Louisiana State Troopers and more. Family members of many of the fallen were also on hand, to pay respects to their lost loved ones and receive words of thanks from many public officials.

“You have made the greatest sacrifice among us,” said U.S. Attorney Jim Letten. “Whether it’s an act of God or a drug dealer on I-10, these officers keep coming back every day to defend the peace, and citizens don’t often appreciate the toll it can take on their families.”

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Letten went on to recount the story of two New Orleans police officers who were shot and killed in cold blood after chasing a suspect through the sultry streets of the city.

While the sobering scenario is one that is too often played out each day, Letten pointed out that the men gave chase on horseback, not in speedy police cars, and their weapons were Colt .45s, rather than semi-automatic handguns.

It was the summer of 1898, and one of the slain officers was an Irish cop who was Letten’s great-grandfather.

Since then, he said, the children in his family were taught to respect the police, and it was one of the reasons he pursued a career that would allow him to help uphold justice.

Those in attendance included Slidell City Councilwoman Kim Harbison, Slidell Mayor Ben Morris, as well as several members of the St. Tammany Parish Council and other town councils from all over the parish.

Also on hand was Special Agent in Charge Dave Welker, with the New Orleans division of the FBI, and St. Tammany School Board Superintendent Gayle Sloan.

Sloan’s grandfather, Gus Gill, was an officer with the Mandeville Police Department.

Gill and his partner, Jake Galloway, were killed in a shootout in 1958, and were the first two names listed on the Roll of Honor.

A proclamation was read from Parish President Kevin Davis that echoed the one issued by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, which established Peace Officers Memorial Day in May of each year.

Family members and friends of the 10 officers killed in the line of duty were called to place a rose on a memorial wreath, then representatives of each agency read out the names of those who have died of natural or other causes.

Members of the sheriff’s office, Louisiana State Police, Troop L, Covington Police, Madisonville Police, Mandeville Police, Causeway Police, Slidell Police and Pearl River Police departments all paid tribute to 189 departed comrades.

Sheriff Jack Strain summed up the purpose of the event.

“Every year we come together to pay our respects to those who have fallen in the line of duty,” said Strain. “We do it to honor their memory and to celebrate their life.”