Renee Gaspar quietly walked the periphery of the state Capitol courtyard with her 1-year-old granddaughter, Aleeya Boyett, Monday evening as Hono­­lulu Police Department Chaplain Shuji Koma­gata read the names of the 46 city law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Gaspar was among the hundreds who attended the Police Week memorial service, which began with a candlelight walk from HPD’s Ala­pai Street headquarters to the Capitol.

It was an emotional evening for Gaspar, whose ex-husband Glen Gaspar — shot to death in 2003 while attempting to arrest a fugitive at the Kapo­lei Baskin-Robbins — was among those honored at the service.

"It’s not as sad as it used to be," said Gaspar. "It’s a nice thing that he is still remembered, and it’s important for all of us to show the officers now that we still support them."

MAYOR Kirk Caldwell, who had earlier proclaimed May 12-18 as Police Week, began the formal program by remembering officers Eric Fontes, Garrett Davis and Chad Mori­moto — the most recent additions to the department’s Roll of Honor.

Caldwell lauded the fallen officers as the latest in a lineage of courageous public servants "whose stories weren’t totally written when their lives came to an end."

Police Chief Louis Kea- l­oha and Deputy Chief Dave Kaji­hiro were unable to attend the event. Both are in Washington, D.C., where Mori­moto — who died July 23 while participating in motorcycle escort training — will be among the fallen officers honored in a national ceremony.

Representing the department, Deputy Chief Marie McCauley expressed appreciation to the families of officers past and present, calling police work "a higher calling that involves the entire family."

Alyson Marsh, daughter of the late officer Dannygriggs Pada­yao, spoke on behalf of the families of fallen officers.

In an emotional address, she recalled how her father, on his way to work, would drive around the block where she and her family lived, then call to say goodnight to his grandchildren and assure the family that they were safe and secure.

Marsh said her father did so the evening of April 30, 2001. He was killed hours later when a drunken driver struck him as he was directing traffic at the scene of an accident on Kame­ha­meha Highway.

"My father loved being a police officer, and he loved not just saving lives, but changing lives," Marsh said.

The memorial included a recitation of the names of each of the officers who died in the line of duty.

The official roll begins with officer John Mahe­lona, who was shot to death while trying to arrest a chicken thief in Li­liha in 1903. However, the service also included the earliest known Hono­lulu law enforcement officer to have died while on the job, a constable known only by his last name, "Kaau­lana," who was beaten to death in 1859 while trying to break up a domestic disturbance.

Gaspar lifted her granddaughter and held her close as the chaplain read Glen Gaspar’s name and a uniformed officer placed a candle on the memorial altar in his honor.

"All these officers here today have big shoes to fill," she said. "The officers who came before them set high standards. I feel for their families because I understand the sacrifices that they have to make, but I also know that the work they do is something to be proud of."