MCALLEN – Law enforcement from across the Rio Grande Valley gathered Wednesday afternoon to pay tribute to service members who died in the line of duty.

The peace officer’s memorial was held at the McAllen Police Department. This week is observed in remembrance of first responders who died while serving their communities.

Others in attendance of the ceremony included family members of those first responders.

“We get up in the morning or at night, or whenever it is that we go report for duty. We don’t know if we’re coming back. So it’s always important, we have a whole class here of cadets right now so we bring them out here so they’ll know what importance the community places on their work,” McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said.

The official peace officer’s Memorial Day was observed nationally on Monday.