Law enforcement officers from around the country have been gathering with people from all walks of life to remember the 23,785 men and women who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Members of the Steubenville Police Department will hold their traditional service at 9 a.m. Monday along Third Street. Fallen officers in our area include Leslie J. McDonald, Lafayette Mercer, Owen Burns, Scott Roe, Leonard Lamatrice and Thomas McGough of the Steubenville Police Department; William J. Snider and Michael Maguschak Sr. of the Mingo Junction Police Department; Benton Miller Sr. of the Toronto Police Department; and Michael Brandle of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Across the Ohio River, members of the Weirton Police Department, which has never lost an officer in the line of duty, will gather at 11 a.m. Monday at the City Building to honor all fallen officers.

The remembrances are being held as part of National Police Week, which runs through Monday in Washington, D.C.

Presented by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, activities include Saturday’s 35th-annual candlelight vigil, during which the names of the fallen officers from the past year as well as recently discovered historical line of duty deaths will be read and added to the memorial.

Each of those ceremonies helps to underscore the dangers faced on a daily basis by the more-than-800,000 men and women across the United States who are sworn law enforcement officers.

Last year, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the fund, 224 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, 18 of whom were female.

A total of 74 officers died of issues related to COVID-19, while 63 died as the result of a shooting and 31 died in automobile crashes. There were 27 officers who died from job related illnesses; 15 died after being struck by a vehicle; six died in an aircraft accident; five died in motorcycle crashes; one officer died after being crushed; one died as a result of a fall; and one died in a fire-related accident.

In our region, according to statistics compiled by WalletHub, Ohio ranks sixth in the list of best states to be a cop. Pennsylvania is ranked 14th and West Virginia is ranked 49th.

Ohio, reports the Washington, D.C.-based personal financial website, ranks sixth in median income and median income growth for law enforcement officers, 17th in police deaths per 1,000 officers, 18th for violent crime rate, 25th in state and local police protection expenses per capita and 27th in law enforcement officers per capita.

Pennsylvania, the breakdown continues, ranks third in median income growth, fourth in median income, 29th in police deaths per 1,000 officers, 27th for violent crime rate, 31st in state and local police expenses per capita and 26th in law enforcement officers per capita.

West Virginia, meanwhile, ranks 36th in median income, 51st in median income growth, 33rd in police deaths per 1,000 officers, 23rd for violent crime, 47th in state and local police expenses per capita and 42nd in law enforcement officers per capita.

We hope that everyone will take a moment or two and remember the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of the men and women who work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to enforce our laws and protect our communities.