by JEN BIUNDO

This Thursday, Hays County law enforcement officials will gather on the steps of the county courthouse to commemorate their fallen comrades.

“We are going to be honoring all officers in the state of Texas who lost their lives in the line of duty in the last two years,” said event organizer Mike Wood, a sergeant with the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and president of the local Fraternal Order of Police.

The public is invited to the 30-minute ceremony, which is scheduled to start at noon on May 13 on the steps of the south lawn of the county courthouse. The ceremony will feature a keynote speaker from the organization Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), a group that supports families of fallen officers. San Marcos Mayor Susan Narvaiz and County Judge Liz Sumter will read proclamations honoring the 23 fallen officers.

“Officers are putting their lives on the line every day and some of those officers don’t make it home at night,” Wood said. “We do a dangerous job and it is important for the public to support police officers in their quest to try to keep the community safe.”