Memorial held for officers killed in line of duty

Six officers killed in 2014

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Tears of remembrance filled the Capitol courtyard Monday as families of slain police officers and hundreds of officers remembered those who have died in the line of duty. Six Florida officers died in 2014, and some worry heightened relations between citizens and police could result in more officers down.

Gov. Rick Scott, who attended all four of the memorials during his first term, was on the road for Monday's memorial, holding two jobs related news conferences.

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A sea of police motorcycles, surviving families and bagpipes led the annual parade of officers to the State Capitol.

It was the 33rd year they have come to remember those lost doing their duty. It was the first time no statewide elected officials were in attendance.

"We've stood upon these grounds for 33 years with the hope that next year there will be no more names to all to the walls," said Fraternal Order of Police President James Preston. "Sadly, in 2014, six Florida officers (were lost) in the line of duty."

One by one, those six families planted a rose on a floral map of Florida.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings has lost nine officers in his career.

"Law enforcement officers have come under fire in this nation," Demings said.

He worried that increased animosity between police and the public could lead to an increase in officers down.

"If law enforcement officers are unduly criticized, sometimes it may cause them to second guess themselves in a split second. That hesitation is what might get them killed," Preston said.

One of the last acts of the Legislature before they abruptly quit was to increase the burial benefits for slain officers from $1,000 to $5,000.

Florida has already lost one officer in 2015, guaranteeing officers will be back again next year for the memorial.