Washington, D.C. — Last April, Montgomery County (MD) Police Officer Luke Hoffman was pursuing on foot a suspected drunk driver who had bailed out of his vehicle in Aspen Hill, when Officer Hoffman was accidentally struck and killed by a police cruiser tracking the same suspect.

On Tuesday, April 29, as family members and fellow officers looked on, Officer Hoffman's name was inscribed on the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial during the annual Engraving Day ceremony. He is among 358 fallen law enforcement officers nationwide - including several in the DC metropolitan area ‐ whose names are being added to the Memorial this spring.

"Luke made an immediate impression with the Montgomery County Police Department by graduating first in his academy class. He carried that dedication to the street," said Chief of Police J. Thomas Manger. "For an all too brief period, Luke Hoffman represented the best the Montgomery County Police Department had to offer. We miss him today, as we did a year ago."

Added Craig Floyd, Chairman and CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, "Officer Hoffman's bravery and dedication to duty were evident throughout his career, including those final moments when he worked so valiantly to take a dangerous drunk driver off the streets of Montgomery County. Engraving Day offers his loved ones and colleagues the opportunity to remember his life and salute his service."

Engraving Day occurs every April at the Memorial. While this year's ceremony salutes Officer Hoffman, it symbolically commemorates the service and sacrifice of all 18,274 officers whose names are inscribed on the Memorial.

The 358 names being added to the Memorial this year include 181 officer deaths from 2007 and 177 from previous years. All of the names will be formally dedicated on the Memorial during the 20th Annual Candlelight Vigil on the evening of May 13.

In addition to Officer Hoffman, the names of four other fallen law enforcement officers were engraved Tuesday on Panel 17-West, Line 26 of the Memorial:

• Patrol Officer Robert Buckman, Macksville (KS) Police Department - killed in a tornado on May 8, 2007.
• Police Officer Michael Burke, St. Louis (MO) Metropolitan Police Department - electrocuted due to a short circuit in the citywide police call box system on December 13, 1901.
• Marshal Hence Harmon, Adairville (KY) Police Department - shot and killed as he attempted to subdue a belligerent, intoxicated man on July 4, 1896.
• Deputy Sheriff William Pendergrass, Owsley County (KY) Sheriff's Office - shot and killed when he attempted to arrest a suspect for causing a public disturbance on July 10, 1940.

Officer Hoffman was one of four law enforcement officers from the state of Maryland who were killed in the line of duty during 2007. The others are Baltimore City Police Detective Troy Chesley Sr.; Howard County Police Corporal Scott Wheeler, and Smithsburg Police Officer Christopher Nicholson. In addition, DC Metropolitan Police Officer Wayne Pitt, Stafford County (VA) Deputy Sheriff Jason Mooney and Campbell County (VA) Deputy Sheriff Jason Saunders died in the line of duty during 2007.

Reporters interested in the engraving of other officers' names may contact Kevin Morison, 202.737.7134 or kevin@nleomf.org. Reporters planning to cover the Candlelight Vigil at the Memorial on May 13 should complete the media credentials form available at http://www.nleomf.org/TheFund/NPW08.htm.

CONTACTS:
NLEOMF - Kevin Morison
kevin@nleomf.org, 202.737.7134