Fallen Fil-Am police officer honored at LAPD memorial ceremony
LAPD Officer Philip Sudario Sudario was among the 239 fallen officers honored at a memorial ceremony at the LAPD headquarters courtyard. Photo from LAPD
LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Thursday paid tribute to Filipino American Philip Sudario and other police officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty since the department was established in 1869.
Sudario – who died of complications from COVID-19 in 2021 – was among the 239 fallen officers honored at a memorial ceremony at the LAPD headquarters courtyard in Los Angeles.
Sudario had served as an officer for 25 years and was last assigned to LA’s Southeast Area.
Mayor Karen Bass and LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell were among the dignitaries who attended the event, along with other local elected officials, members of the Los Angeles Police Commission, department officials and family members of the fallen officers.
“A meaningful tribute today to the brave LAPD officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our city,” Mayor Bass wrote in her Facebook post. “We remember their courage, honor their legacy, and stand with the families who carry their memory forward.”
The ceremony featured traditional police honors, including a “roll call” of the fallen officers, a riderless horse, a rifle volley, a “missing man” formation helicopter flyover, a bagpiper playing “Amazing Grace” and a solo bugler performing “Taps,” along with an “End of Watch” broadcast.
The program also included a performance by a volunteer LAPD choir composed of both sworn officers and civilian employees.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, family members and former partners of the fallen officers placed long-stemmed roses near the officers’ nameplates on the department’s Memorial Wall.
The LAPD ceremony on Thursday came on the heels of a similar event Wednesday night by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, memorializing the deaths of three law enforcement officers.
The event was held a few days before Memorial Day, a federal holiday that honors the nation’s service men and women who died in the line of duty. (With CNS report)
