The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) held its annual memorial ceremony on Wednesday, May 28, in front of its Fallen Officer Memorial Monument at the SDPD headquarters building. The name of Officer Austin Machitar was added to the monument, a solemn reminder of the risks our officers take every single day to help keep San Diegans safe. Officer Machitar was killed in the line of duty last year following a police pursuit.

During Wednesday's ceremony, a memorial wreath was presented and a bell rang once for each of the 37 fallen SDPD officers in the department’s 136-year history. The ceremony is held to honor the officers who sacrificed their lives while protecting the communities they so proudly served. This year, the Machitar family was present as his name was added to the monument.

Recently, the family accompanied SDPD Chief Scott Wahl to Washington D.C. and Sacramento, where Officer Machitar was memorialized at federal and state fallen officer ceremonies.