Tuesday, May 15, 2007
BY REGGIE SHEFFIELD
Of The Patriot-News
The Fraternal Order of Police wants you to lower your flag to half-staff today in recognition of National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
It’s only one of two annual observances when the flag is supposed to be flown at half-staff; the other time is Memorial Day, which honors fallen soldiers and sailors.
The failure to lower flags to half-staff has for years disappointed David M. Kling, the President of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89 in Harrisburg.
“In the past few years as I traveled throughout the area on May 15, I was disappointed as I saw that the flags of our federal, state and local government buildings, veterans organizations, businesses and even police departments were not lowered to half-staff in honor of our fallen peace officers,” Kling said.
Lowering the flag on May 15 to honor fallen police officers was first authorized in 1994 by President Clinton. President Kennedy originally designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in 1962.
Kling said President Bush last year issued a proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and asked that all flags be flown at half-staff.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Ed Rendell said the governor ordered the flag to be lowered at the Capitol only.
Kling said he was disappointed Rendell did not order flags lowered statewide.
“For the governor to only order the flag at the Capitol to be lowered is almost an insult to the fallen officers,” Kling said. “It does not take a lot of energy to lower a flag to half-staff.”
