 Members of law enforcement gathered tonight to recognize and remember those who served and lost their lives in the line of duty. Position in the shadow of the Beltrami County Courthouse, community members and residents gathered for the Peace Officers Memorial Service. This is the 18th year the ceremony has been held in Bemidji. The message at the ceremony highlighted the current tensions in the United States surrounding police officers and how tough it is to serve as an officer. There is a lot of things happening today that they never had to deal with 10, 15 years ago. Retired Chief Deputy Mike Bakke alluded to some of that in his message, and when they put the uniform on today, it seems like there's a lot more tension that things dealing with today that they never used to have to deal with quite so much. Law enforcement fatalities rose nationwide last year to the highest level in five years with 135 officers killed in the line of duty. None of those officers were from Minnesota. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.