5/7/13 - An annual memorial service for fallen police officers in Lansing paid tribute yesterday to an officer from Livingston County killed in the line of duty in September. Sergeant Patrick OâRourke lived with his wife Amy and four children in Tyrone Township while working for the West Bloomfield Police Department. He was killed while responding to a domestic dispute. Every year, Michigan Concerns of Police Survivors, or MI-COPS, holds a memorial ceremony to bring attention to all police personnel with ties to Michigan who were killed in the line of duty during the previous year. The ceremony in front of the Capitol Building in Lansing honored OâRourke as well as two other officers, a Denver police officer who had formerly served in Michigan and a corrections officer with family in the state. Over a hundred police officers from around the state and hundreds of civilians were in attendance. The family and friends of the fallen officers were invited to place roses on a wreath in remembrance, and traditions such as a 21-gun salute, a color guard, and Amazing Grace played on bagpipes paid tribute to the officers. Amy OâRourke added that she thought the ceremony was a beautiful and appropriate tribute to her husband, and she is still overwhelmed at the support her family receives from the law enforcement community. She and her family will be going to Washington this Sunday when her husband will be honored as part of the Police Unity Tour and his name inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial. (TD)
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