COLUMBUS – The fifth annual Light Ohio Blue campaign honoring slain law enforcement officers begins Friday with a caravan across central Ohio.
The Cruiser Caravan is Friday to kick off this year’s Light Ohio Blue. Help make Ohio glow Blue May 8-15th to show support for law enforcement & their families while honoring Ohio’s fallen officers. pic.twitter.com/KB3gZ0UCZW
— Light Ohio Blue (@LightOhio) May 6, 2020
From May 8 through May 15, Ohioans are asked to turn exterior lighting on homes and business to the color blue to show support for law enforcement officers and their families and to honor officers who have died in the line of duty.
At 5 p.m., law enforcement vehicles will gather at the Columbus Division of Police Training Academy on W. Hague Avenue for a ceremony where flags will be lowered and the names of fallen officers will be read, followed by the playing of “Taps.”
Except for the honor guard, attendees will remain inside their cruisers and participants will maintain six feet of social distance due to restrictions in place due to the coronavirus outbreak.
A procession of approximately 50 cruisers will stop at locations across Franklin County, including the “OHIO” gate at the Ohio Expo Center, Westerville’s First Responder Park, OSU Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital before ending at Riverfront Park on Marconi Boulevard where downtown buildings will be illuminated in blue.
The Light Ohio Blue campaign coincides with activities associated with Police Week, established in 1962 by President John Kennedy in a proclamation designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.