NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Newport News Police Department (NNPD) honored the fallen on Thursday night, paying tribute to the 12 officers who have died in the line of duty.
The event took place at the Calvary Chapel in Newport News. Police Chief Steve Drew reflected upon the sacrifice that officers make every day to keep the community safe.
"This job is challenging," Drew told the audience. "We don't know what we're going to face tomorrow, what calls we'll receive, and what we're going to see when we walk through a door."
The fallen officers that were honored go as far back as 1919 and as recently as January 2020, when Officer Katie Thyne was killed during a traffic stop.
During a ceremony, the department also played new body camera video that showed how officers helped on the day of the Richneck Elementary School shooting on Jan. 6.
The video shows officers approaching the school and helping students exit their classrooms. One officer could even be seen high-fiving the children as they walked out.
"Understanding these kids were scared and they were crying, we had to make sure that they saw that we weren't afraid, that we were calm and that kind of trickled over to them," NNPD Sgt. Clark Carter told 13News Now.