Several members of the Dartmouth Police Department made the trek to Washington D.C. to celebrate National Police Week which ran from Wednesday, May 11 to Monday, May 16 to support their brothers and sisters in blue.

Every year, the event attracts 25,000 to 40,000 attendees from around the world. Dartmouth Police Department's officer Scott Affonce, officer Jason Aruda, Detective Sean McGuire, and Joe Vieira were just a few to participate in the event.

On May 13, Dartmouth police officers participated in the 28th Annual Candlelight Vigil that was held to commemorate the men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty.

The National Police Memorial featured photos in memory of those who lost their lives. The Massachusetts Police Association also carried a banner commemorating the commonwealth’s fallen police men and women.

National Police Week gives officers an opportunity to meet their colleagues from around the country and the world. Affonce—who has participated in National Police Week for 16 years—arrived in D.C. with a bag full of Dartmouth Police Department patches and left with over 50 patches from departments across the world from as far as Australia and Key Lagos.

The rest of the week will be filled with workshops for survivors and coping with grief, opportunities for children to see the FBI National Academy, as well as chances for police officers to meet with their fellow officers from around the world.

The weekend closed with the Annual Peace Officers Memorial Day Service on Sunday, May 15, which was designated in 1962 as National Police Day by President John F. Kennedy.