ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando Police Officer Kevin Valencia was one of the heroes honored Tuesday evening for making the ultimate sacrifice while serving Central Florida.
The Fraternal Order of Police hosted the Annual Orange County Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony Tuesday at the Orange County Courthouse.
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The event recognizes the lives and legacies of all of the area’s fallen law enforcement officers.
“I ask our community to continue working in collaboration with officers to help us achieve our mutual goal to keep the @citybeautiful safe by reducing crime & maintaining livable neighborhoods. We will always make sure our officers’ sacrifices are never forgotten.”@OrlandoPDChief https://t.co/UYtSL94YT6 pic.twitter.com/34ElvCGmLT
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) May 4, 2022
Officer Kevin Valencia died in March of 2021 from complications due to gunshot wounds he suffered while responding to a domestic disturbance in 2018. He had served with the Orlando Police Department for three years and is survived by a wife and two children.
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“Our community will never forget the sacrifice made by Officer Kevin Valencia, and the many other fallen heroes we lost in 2021,” Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon said in a statement. “Heartache remains for the family members, fellow officers, and friends. As we continue to mourn the loss of our community’s heroes we must do everything possible to support their families and to forever honor the legacies and lies that were taken from us so soon.”
The ceremony also honors law enforcement officers who have suffered serious injuries or who died of natural causes in the last year.
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It began with a memorial parade to the courthouse grounds followed by the memorial ceremony where stories of the fallen officers were shared.
Those stories can be found on the Officer Down Memorial Page.
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