(MSC News)--Peace Officers Memorial Day is Thursday, and flags across Kansas will fly at half-staff that day in recognition of the holiday.

Governor Laura Kelly, on Tuesday, directed that flags be flown that way, from sunup to sundown Thursday, to honor the day which pays tribute to local, state, and federal peace officers who have died or been disabled in the line of duty.

Kelly, in the release from her office announcing her flag directive, calls Peace Officers Memorial Day "a solemn reminder to acknowledge and appreciate [the] sacrifices and commitment” of Kansas Peace Officers who she says "put their lives on the line in service to their communities and fellow Kansans."

According to PoliceWeek.org, it was in 1962 that President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.