Flags lowered to half-staff across Illinois in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day

Flags across Illinois are flying at half-staff today, on Friday, May 15, in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day, after Gov. JB Pritzker directed public entities covered by the Illinois Flag Display Act to lower U.S. and state flags. 

According to Illinois.gov, the order applies to state buildings and other sites covered by the law. The observance honors law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, the Peoria Journal Star reported. 

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How long the flags stay down

Flags are to remain lowered from sunrise to sunset at all buildings occupied by state personnel. The same timing applies to U.S. and Illinois flags covered by the state order.

Peace Officers Memorial Day was established by Congress in 1962 and falls during National Police Week, the Peoria Journal Star confirmed. The day is also marked by memorial events nationwide, including the annual service outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

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Proper way to lower a flag

The federal proclamation says a flag should be raised to the peak for an instant before being lowered to half-staff, and then raised again briefly before coming down for the day. On dry land, the term is half-staff; at sea, it is half-mast, according to The Hill.

Under the Illinois Flag Display Act, flags can also be ordered to half-staff after the line-of-duty death of Illinois police officers, firefighters, military members, and other covered public servants. The Peoria Journal Star says that in those cases, the flags are lowered from sunrise to sunset on the funeral day and the two days before it.