HAMPTON, Va. — Over 100 people gathered in Hampton's Honor Park on Monday morning to honor Peace Officers Memorial Day and celebrate National Police Week. Signed into law by former president John F. Kennedy in 1962, National Police Week serves as a yearly reminder of the sacrifices made by those who keep our communities safe.
It was the first time Hampton's Interim Chief of Police Orrin Gallop led the ceremony.
For a chief, this is probably the most important job that I have," he said. "That any officer that makes the ultimate sacrifice, they have to know, their families have to know, that their lives were important to us."
Chief Gallop just assumed the position in April after the city of Norfolk hired Hampton's former Police Chief Mark Talbot to be their top cop.
Gallop says it's been a smooth transition.
"For me, it was easy," he explained. "Because as deputy chief, [former Chief Talbot] pretty much allowed me to be involved in a lot the operations so I felt comfortable stepping in because he kind of prepared me to be in this role. So it wasn't as big of a shock as it could have been a couple of years ago. Being there with him, making those decisions with him, sitting in the room, and going over strategy made it a lot easier."
When asked what Gallop is hoping to accomplish as Hampton's current top cop, he says he is still focused on Talbot's goal of reducing violent crime.
"The goal was to reduce violent crime by 50% over five years," Gallop said. "I'm still working on that goal, hoping to achieve that, that's my most important thing."
When Gallop was asked if he would be gunning for the permanent chief position, he responded by saying "that's up to the city manager."
During today's ceremony, Gallop and the entire Hampton Police Division honored three fallen officers:
- Ralph Ghivizanni, EOW 1943
- Mark DeCuypere, EOW 1975
- Kenneth Wallace, EOW 1994
Hampton Police also awarded 12 current officers who went above and beyond in the last year to save or attempt to save someone's life.
National Police Week concludes on Saturday, May 20.
