Peace Officers Memorial Day seeks to honor those who have died or have been disabled in the line of duty, and three officers from Guthrie County are among those remembered.

The first officer recorded to have died in the line of duty was Marshal John Kerr Myers. Myers, a Night Marshal for the City of Stuart, was shot and killed at the age of 70 on March 30, 1921 when he encountered five robbers breaking into the Stuart Bank. Stuart Police Officer Charley Loucks died at the age of 51 of a heart attack on December 25, 1954 during a struggle while arresting a juvenile. The most recent deceased officer was Stuart Police Chief Robert Smith. During a struggle to arrest a suspect on a warrant, the suspect pushed Smith to the ground in which he struck his neck. The injuries to his neck required surgery, and due to complications during the surgery Smith was paralyzed. He later died from complications of the paralysis in 2010.

An annual Iowa Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony was held May 10th, and Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff from now until sunrise on Monday, May 20th.