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This year the City of Durham is the host location of the 2006 North Carolina Peace Officers Memorial Day Ceremony to be held Tuesday, May 23 at 11 a.m.

The annual event, sponsored by the N.C. Department of Justice, will take place at Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University. The ceremony honors law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty and their families.

Attorney General Roy Cooper will deliver welcoming remarks. This year's featured guest speaker is General Hugh Shelton, the retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a North Carolina native.

In particular, this year's ceremony will recognize four officers who died in the line of duty since last year's observance. The officers to be honored include: Billy T. Gregory, Durham Police Department; Byron Douglas Carpenter, Belmont Police Department; Christopher Brian Matthews, Cumberland County Sheriff's Office; and Bobby Lee Cox, Burke County Sheriff's Office.

An early morning coffee hour will be held for families of the Honor Roll officers, their escorts and program participants. Immediately following the ceremony a luncheon will also be held for the families, invited guests and law enforcement agency heads.

In order to provide full support of the statewide service in Durham, Durham law enforcement officials decided not to hold its local peace officer's memorial service this year. Services are usually held in conjunction with National Police Week that is observed yearly the week of May 15.

This marks the second year that a statewide choir has been formed to participate in the service. Currently there are 26 members (including several participants from the Durham Police Choir) who will be traveling across the state to participate in this service.

For more information on the ceremony, and to view the Peace Officers Memorial Day Honor Roll, visit the North Carolina Department of Justice website.