Why are flags flying half-staff? Gov. Kotek issues order for Peace Officer Memorial Day

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – If you happen to pass a public Oregon building on Wednesday, you may find yourself wondering why all the flags are flying half-staff.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek ordered the flags to fly half-staff from midnight to sunset on May 15 after U.S. President Joe Biden declared the date an annual holiday to honor fallen peace officers across the country.

From now on, May 15 will mark Peace Officer Memorial Day and the week between May 12-18 will be known as Police Week, according to a proclamation from the Oval Office.

“Every day, police officers pin on their shields and walk out the door, rushing into harm’s way to keep the rest of us safe,” President Biden said in a public statement. “Being a police officer is more than what they do — it is who they are. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we recognize the incredible courage of our Nation’s police officers and honor the fallen heroes, whose ultimate sacrifice we can never repay.”

In honor of the holiday, Gov. Kotek immediately issued the order to lower the flags.

“Our law enforcement public safety professionals are confronted head-on with the most complicated parts of humanity, only to stand in the face of it and offer help,” Gov. Kotek said. “There is no sacrifice more noble, no pledge to the public more honorable, than that of the devotion in the line of duty of our law enforcement professionals. We honor the memory of those who have fallen in service protecting their fellow Oregonians.”