Flags lowered for Peace Officer Memorial DayMay 14, 2009 LANSING, Mich.--By order of Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm, U.S. flags on all campuses of Western Michigan University and throughout Michigan will be lowered Friday, May 15, in obervance of Peace Officer Memorial Day. Peace Officers Memorial Day is observed annually throughout the United States on May 15. The holiday was established by act of Congress and signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in October 1962. The week in which the memorial day falls is known as Police Week. In 2006, Gov. Granholm issued an executive order requiring U.S. flags to be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings and facilities out of respect for the memory of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, and further called upon all other organizations, groups, educational institutions, and citizens in Michigan to fly flags at half-staff on May 15. Media contact: Thom Myers, (269) 387-8400, thom.myers@wmich.edu WMU News |