[siren] >> and every day thousands of officers, their families, and their supporters converge on washington, d.c. to pay tribute during national police week. >> tonight, we want to do make sure that the thousands of officers who joined us, the thousands of survivors of officers killed in the line of duty get the honor and appreciation that they deserve every day. >> i remember my older brother, senior trooper senior vincent who was killed in the line of duty, and we are here honoring two of our fallen officers. we lost two troopers last year in 2015. >> the history goes back to 1962 president john f. kennedy signed a proclamation making national police week official. and every year since, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from all over the country meet in the nation's capital to remember their fellow officers. this year, on "on the record" was there. >> it's humbling there be here obviously. my first year here. never been here before. >> any given given year, somewhere between 25 and 40,000 people attend. visiting the national law enforcement memorial which lists the names of more than 20,000 law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty. other events include this bike ride. the police unity tour from new jersey to washington, d.c. to honor the sacrifices of those who have died. >> i ride for 20738 names that are on the wall that have fallen in the line of duty. i ride for the 900,000 law enforcement officers that are currently sacrificing their lives every day for the humanity. and i arrive pause we matter in law enforcement. >> and at the end of the week this candlelight vigil, right on the national mall, a tribute to the fine men and women who keep us safe, our heroes in blue. [bell tolls] >> and law enforcement came together for a candlelight vigil at the national mall. "on the record" was there that night, and now we take a look at that memorable evening. and right now violent crime rates spiking in cities from coast to coast. that means more work and spiked danger for our men and women in blue. that what is causing the deadly surge? fbi director james comey says he believes it could be a viral video effect. he thinks officers might be reluctant to confront suspects in fear of ending up in internet video. milwaukee county sheriff david clarke joins us. good evening, sir. >> good evening. great to be with you. >> you don't agree with him on that. >> no. i think he misses the mark on that. cops are not afraid to do their jobs. what they are afraid of, it's called the cop hating united states department of justice led by race obsessed attorney general. the president of the united states has been leading the chorus and slandering and maligning the character and integrity of the sacrifice of our nation's law enforcement officers. what officers fear is some witch-hunt, this ongoing witch-hunt why the civil rights division, taking over law enforcement agencies all across the nation. i think they are up to 21 now that have move in, federalize that agency. and then they are looking to snag some law enforcement officer for some minor transgression. we have an occupation where things can go horribly wrong like it did in ferguson, missouri, through no fault of the officer. we have this feeling that the united states department of justice, who we have always seen as ally in the pursuit of justice and wield look at crime in the criminal as the enemy. well now this attorney general and this u.s. doj sees the cop as the enemy and the criminal as the victim. and this whole thing is flipped around. but that's what the fear. >> you know, as i look around tonight, you know, i have been to these vigils before. this is the 25th year for this vigil. i know that soon we're going to seat families of this year's fallen. >> you know, it rips your heart out. it really does. they are the true heroes. they are the ones that have if i can use some slang the most skin in the game here. they have given all. for them the pain and suffering it never goes away. it never will. it gives us an opportunity to come down here and stop the world. everybody in this law enforcement family to stop the world and honor those that have gone before, honor the names of the -- and the people whose names are going on from this year tragically. i know two new hampshire police officers were shot in the line of duty today. i hear that they are going to survive and then just last week in kansas city. a kansas city detective brad lancaster i think is his name was shot and killed in the line of duty. we live with this danger. we accept that we just want to know that if one of us goes down that our families are taken care of and that the sacrifice was worth it right now the cops are looking, you know, and starting to wonder is this really going to be worth this? they want to pay their mortgages and send their kids to college. some of these officers want to walk their daughter down the aisle one day and that may not happen. we're willing to do that to protect our community but gosh, darn it, it better be worth it. >> would you do you think the attorney general -- you said the attorney general and the president, at least i interpreted to you say that they don't have your backs. >> this thing has been politicized. this is a political construct. this whole black lives matter, there is no data or research, you know that. you have pointed it out, to suggest that the american law enforcement officers are trigger happy. they are not. racist. the president of the united states has said that our nation's law enforcement officers have a fear of people that don't look like them. i find that disgusting. we go out there and we serve our community. the only true government agency in the united states of america that really believes that black lives matter is the american police officer who goes out into these ghettos. they don't have the resources that they need. but they go and put their best foot forward. greta, sometimes things can go horribly wrong in this world. and, when it does, we have oversight processes. i want process. i want due process and thorough investigation. i don't want any political prisoners. i don't want cops used as sacrificial lamb to satisfy some angry mob. i think that's what's going on in baltimore right now. >> sheriff, nice to see you. >> thank you for your support of law enforcement. >> thank you, sir. and this is why we love our great men and women in blue. crisis averted. in august 2015 a gunman holding 29 students hostage in a classroom. it was touch and go. and feared to be life or death. but, within minutes, police taking action. fill pay, west virginia police chief good evening, chief. >> good evening. >> that was incredible what you did. >> i was just doing my job, ma'am. >> i know you all say you were just doing your job. all those students at risk. they had a 14-year-old gunman taking them hostage it? >> was one of the most intense situations i have been n my career. >> tell me what happened. >> well, basically we got a call that there was a student with a gun in the school. but that was all the information we had. so we responded. our response time was about 3 minutes and we went ahead and made entry. at that point a associate principal approached us and told us that one of the students had his class hostage along with the teacher. we had trained for this for years. >> how do you train for that? how do you train for a 14-year-old kid with a gun in a classroom with 29 students? >> in 2007 i took the active instructor course. since then i have been teaching the classes. we have run through that scenario over and over and over again. so when we first went in and was, you know, moving our way down the hallway, it was kind of like training, but, you know, when i actually saw the young man holding the firearm in his hand, then i realized it wasn't training. but, you know, i just can't express it enough. it wasn't just me in that building. i'm here to honor everybody that was there. >> how do you get them to release the 29? i know you said it was the greatest sights have you ever seen 29 students coming out. >> we negotiated a little while. i think he want to do give up, but he just got in it and was too far gone. and he -- you know, he made some threats. and, you know, i told him i would help him if i could. i didn't make him any promises i couldn't keep because that's part of the training. and, after about 35 minutes, he agreed. i first just asked for a couple hostages. and i asked for three. and i asked for women. and he said why? and i said well, i'm kind of old fashioned, women and children first. and he didn't take that too well, but he did agree to release them. and he did. and then he just kind of held himself hostage for the next two hours, negotiations continued. >> and you got him out alive, too. >> got him out alive. actually, the alert, when they found out that it was one of the few situations like that, that comes out where nobody got hurt. >> chief, congratulations. thank you very much. i hope this evening honors police officers. >> that's why we are here. thank you. >> thank you, sir. for unbelievable skill to bring that crisis to a safe end and joining us an every day police officers all over america put their lives on the line to keep us safe. "on the record" griff jenkins has the story of one hero who nearly gave everything. >> it was here on this corner, 60th and spruce streets in west philadelphia that gunman edward archer crossed the street shortly before midnight and approached officer jesse hard net as he sat in the squad car. he began firing unprovoked. firing 11 were striking hard harden. he would later pledge allegiance to isis in the targeted attack. commissioner ross recalls his actions that damplets he just represented the epitome of a police officer. what he did, how he did it. essentially ambushed. he didn't know it was coming. the guy right up on top of him fires several rounds at close range. and the only thing he had was his left arm essentially and the passenger seat of that car to shield himself. that left arm sustained a couple gunshot wounds which were very, very significant in nature. he had to have the presence of mind to pull that gun out of its holster. draw it, and then chase that male down the street and then miraculously fire and strike that male so that his comrades were subsequently able to apprehend him. and then, he didn't even stop there as he depose back to his vehicle, he realizes he is bleeding profusely, and he tells one of his comrades that he needs a tourniquet because he needs to stop the bleeding. now, he was prepared to even try to put that tourniquet on himself. the colleague rushed him to the hospital. so the entire thing from start to finish was nothing short of amazing and extraordinary. >> edward archer said that he was motivated by isis in his attack. >> correct. >> what you can tell us? >> well, in his videotaped confession, he indicated that, one, he did it in the name of the islamic state and isis and in support of them and also, that he felt that police officers were a problem because they represented and defended laws that were contrary to the quran. >> as commissioner, are you worried about these lone wolf guys? >> we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the men and women that are wearing this uniform to the degree that you even can and because it's a dangerous profession. and there are no absolutes. as a law enforcement leader, it would be very difficult for me not to acknowledge that that is a concern. >> being an officer is a noble but as we're reminded dangerous profession. there is something special about officer hard netanyahu that is instilled. he is doing great. he has had multiple surgeries. i can't even count at this point in time. i'm sure he could tell you may or may not know that he had the honor of throwing out a pitch at one of our philly's home games and he took that opportunity to propose to his girlfriend and so thankfully she accepted in front of 30-some thousand people. it was wonderful. >> it's great. something that they go out on that field and stand in front of all those people, you know. it was nice. it was really nice. >> i think what i would like to emphasize is that we have plenty of men and women across this nation that really do and demonstrate acts of courage and valor every day. many of them go unheralded, but it's important for people to realize that, that people who wear this uniform put their lives on the line each and every day for and many instances people they have never met in their life. it's a difficult time in law enforcement. and it's more important now than ever for people just to stop sometimes and say thank you. >> and officer hardnet. >> it is here tonight and will be recognized up here on the stage behind me. we will continue to bring you all the remarkable stories of many falling. lives lost way too soon. greta? >> griff, thank you. >> right here in the united states, more than 20,000 law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. one of them nypd officer edward berne was executed while protecting a key witness in a drug case in 1988. it was a contract killing of a cop. his brother, nypd deputy commissioner for legal matters lawrence berne is joining us. nice to see you, sir. >> good evening, greta. >> you come from nypd family your dad was a cop. >> my dad became a new york city police officer which he when he came home from the korean war and my brother wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps. have that dream only to have it cut short. >> you are all brothers and sisters, but this is your brother. >> yep. it's a tough night but it's a special night. you know, when people become new york city police officers and officers all over the country, they take an oath to protect and serve. at the nypd, we make a promise to them and their families in return that should tragedy ever strike, we will remember them and we will support them and tonight we remember the fallen officers of the last year and we support all of their families who are here. >> what's particularly touching as i was walking over here i met some police officers from poland. >> yep. >> you told me officers from what other nation. >> i met officers with commissioner bratton in from germany, italy and from all over the united states. >> it is worldwide support among police. >> worldwide support. policing is an extraordinary profession. and it is a camaraderie among officers. >> when i read about your brother, he was only 22, a rookie seven months on the force and he was executed in a contract killing. >> he was killed five days after his 22nd birthday. his murder was ordered by some on the local drug gang lord who had been sent back to prison five days earlier. from his prison pay phone he called his gang and said they take one of us, we take one of them. we have to send a message to the cops. and they executed eddie at point blank range in the early morning hours of february 26th as he was guarding the home of a witness who had agree to do testify against the drug dealers. >> your parents ever get over it? i know your mother is still living, your father is not. >> my parents forged ahead. they showed incredible strength. they were determine to do have good come out of this tragedy. no parents of a law enforcement officer ever recovers from the levee loss of a child. police family, my dad had been a police officer for 22 years, never wants to get the knock at the door 5:00 a.m. in the morning from a police chaplain. it can only be bad news. you only hope to hear your father -- your soldier was hurt and not killed. good has come out of it. including the beautiful memorial and byrne justice program at doj giving hundreds of millions of dollars for sphefer training. his death made it better for other officers that's a great accomplishment. >> i thank you and many thousands of officers thank yous as well you. >> thank you to be here tonight. >> also, terror at home. horrifying new threats to law enforcement officers and to you. secretary of homeland security jeh johnson is standing by to go "on the record." and this is a touching tradition as we honor our fallen men and women in blue. many hitting the road on bicycles to make it here tonight. "on the record" takes you along for one wild ride. that's next. more from the national mall as this "on the record" special "heroes in blue" continues. it's more than a network and the cloud. it's reliable uptime. and multi-layered security. it's how you stay connected to each other and to your customers. with centurylink you get advanced technology solutions, including an industry leading broadband network, and cloud and hosting services - all with dedicated, responsive support. with centurylink as your trusted technology partner, you're free to focus on growing your business. centurylink. your link to what's next. p?p?o?gv by switching to xfinity x1. rio olympic games show me gymnastics. x1 lets you search by sport, watch nbc's highlights and catch every live event on your tv with nbc sports live extra. i'm getting ready. are you? x1 will change the way you experience nbcuniversal's coverage of the rio olympic games. call or go online today to switch to x1. this is the national law enforcement officers memorial. a small tribute to our heroes in blue. and earlier this month, thousands gathered to honor america's finest. take a look. >> the motto? we ride for those that die. [cheers and applause] >> in 1997 with just 18 riders, the police unit tour raised $18,000. fast forward, 20 tours and now 2300 members in raising well over $2 million. [bagpipes] >> it all starts in northern new jersey in four days and 300 miles later the finish line is in washington, d.c. at the national law enforcement officers memorial. >> this is the final stop at rfk stadium before the last leg riding all the way to the memorial. two by two, it's a solemn time and emotional time. the more than 2,000 riders who have ridden more than 300 miles all thinking about their colleagues that they have lost along the way riding for them. >> i'm riding for a detective nypd and also want to don't from the philippines. >> i rode for rosalie. >> i rode for a fellow foreign minister church. >> we are trying to honor our heros in the correct way. >> we don't want to put any more names on this wall. >> i ride for 23738 names. i ride for the 900,000 law enforcement officers that are currently sacrificing their lives every day for the humanity. and i ride because we matter in law enforcement. >> the final leg of the ride, somber as they ride two by two, thinking about those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. lives lost in the line of duty. >> the end is always the toughest part to get through. you cannot -- i have to put my sunglasses on because i don't want people seeing me crying. [cheers and applause] >> that a boy. great job. >> some people may say there isn't that much support for law enforcement. i have to say that's wrong. what i saw for the last four days and over the last 20 years with this unity tour is that people support us. and that the citizens know we are out there doing the right thing. >> as i rode, i saw people had written the number 28 on their legs. 28 on their shirts. tell me the significance of that. >> that's officer joseph franklin, who is retired from roxbury police department. he is an 18 year member. that was doing what he loved with us this past week, and he suffered a tragic accident and he passed away. doing what he loved. >> i'm sad today because we lost a good friend. i'm happy today in a way to see all of you to be able to come here to pay tribute to our fallen. >> lives lost, but never forgotten. for "on the record," i'm griff jenkins. >> and joining us founder of the miss unity tour pat montori and harry phillips. thank you both, gentlemen. >> thank you for having us. >> pat, why do you come here every year? >> we come here to pay tribute to our fallen officers so that their memories will never be forgotten and that their stories can be told. and then soon their stories will be told in all with having a museum just a short time away. 28 months away. >> the museum, harry, is going to be near the police memorial where you have about 21,000 names etched on it this is finally going to be a museum, right, for law enforcement? they are finally getting it? >> yes. they have finally broken ground. should be done in 24 months and should be open in 28 months. we're hoping that it's also going to be used as instruction to keep police officers safe. once they come to the memorial and see the large number of officers who have lost their lives, they go home and spread the word and they are a lot more alert. >> police feel under sieged these days? >> you know, i would say yes. they feel that sometimes they don't matter. i think the police unity tour makes them feel like they matter when they get the understanding and seeing the community around them. i think sometimes the media gets part of a story rather than the whole story. and i think that, you know, many people realize that law enforcement have a tough job. that there is 900,000 law enforcement officers, you know, across the country and i think we have a pretty good statistic saying that we do a good job. >> tonight, harry, retired lieutenant joseph franklin who died on the bicycle accident puts a damp are on top of a very sad event. >> it certainly did. and joe was -- he loved police work. he leaded with the explorers and dare. he was a super friend to law enforcement. >> thank you, gentlemen. thank you both. >> thank you for the opportunity. >> thank you. and one of our biggest threats to terror right here at home in this new time new and dangerous challenges face our hometown heroes. jeh johnson joins us from the national mall. that's next. more than 20,000 names are etched into this memorial day. each name is a member of law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice. earlier this month, thousands have gathered on the national mall to pay tribute. >> and we honor these brave men and women and thank their families as well for their sacrifices. we face a new life that's very dangerous. homegrown terrorism. secretary of homeland security jeh johnson is leading the charge on keeping us and our police officers safe. he joins us. good evening, sir. >> greta, thanks for having me. >> well, we did this last year. you were here last year. >> and glad to see you had my old friend larry byrne in the chair a moment ago. we were prosecutors together about 27 years ago. >> when rudy giuliani was the u.s. attorney. >> rudy giuliani hired us both. it was a terrific time to be a young prosecutor in manhattan. >> so tonight you are going to be a keynote speaker between or speak. >> yes. >> what do you hope to impart to the group here. >> what i say at events like this and what i said at the event we did for cpp officers and border patrol officers earlier today when a hero is killed, there is nothing we can say to really console their families except you'll always be part of our family and we will always be there to support you. please come back for events like this. you'll always be part of our family. we will do whatever we can to support you in your time of need. i think that means a lot to people. and we obviously do the best we can. and we owe it to law enforcement officers and their families because they put their lives on the line every day for the public they serve and protect the public. >> i think the toughest part of the night for me, and probably true for everybody, is right when the event starts and they bring the families in, who have -- family members are going to end up on the wall this year etched because they have died and fallen in the line of duty, and you see them walk. in these family members. escorted by members of their police force. that's the toughest. >> this is my third of these in three years. the most moving part for me is the candlelight moment. >> there is that, too. >> candles are all lit and they literally spread by the thousands across the area. and that is quite moving to me. >> you know, police officers from all over the world are here. i met some as i noted earlier from poland. there is some from germany, italy, they are from all over showing support for each other. >> they are from all over. i'm looking at the patches. i find it interesting that i will see somebody from essex county, new jersey, where my permanent home is or new york city or california, all across the country and all across the world. you're absolutely right. it's an interesting collection of heroes and law enforcement personnel. it's one of the things that makes this event so great. >> has policing changed in the last 30 years? >> i would say yes. i think that policing is much more community-based. i think that law enforcement over the last several decades has learned to more effectively engage communities there are always some trouble spots and lessons to be learned, but i think that overall law enforcement is doing a better and better job of engaging the community, understanding the community, working with the community. the policemen is there to protect and serve the public. i know a lot of police officers that believe it. and so i think that's certainly one evolution i have seen since the days i was a young prosecutor. >> mr. secretary, if you will stay with us. >> sure. >> and the numbers are absolutely staggering. more than 20,000 american law enforcement officers killed while serving in the line of duty. "on the record" takes you to their memorial. that's next. [bassist] two late nights in tucson. blew an amp.but good nights. sure,music's why we do this,but it's still our business. we spend days booking gigs, then we've gotta put in the miles to get there. but it's not without its perks. like seeing our album sales go through the roof enough to finally start paying meg's little brother- i mean,our new tour manager-with real,actual money. we run on quickbooks.that's how we own it. as we pay tribute this memorial day to all those who bravely serve in our armed forces, we must also remember those who keep us safe right here at home. our heroes in blue. >> secretary of homeland security jeh johnson is still with us. secretary in the past year. you have marriage new terror threats and emerging challenges every single day. what are our officers doing to fight terror? >> well, we're in a new phase in the global terrorist threat. and so that itself requires a whole of government approach. we deal with terrorist directed attacks, terrorist inspired attacks. so, across the entire federal government including the department of homeland security, we're doing a lot of things to deal with the prospect of the self- radicalized lone wolf. portions of immigration laws response to natural disasters. cyber security is a big part of our mission. i have made it one of the two corner stones of our department's mission alongside of counter terrorism, so, we have got to be vigilant and ready across a whole spectrum of things to keep the american people safe. >> the job of law enforcement, i mean, it's -- to me, it's staggering all the soft targets. we saw the situation where you have in paris, for instance, in the cafes. you see we have so many calf -- cafes and sporting events. i'm so impressed with how law enforcement -- because i suspect we don't hear about all the plots that are thwarted. i suspect that but it really have quite extraordinary how successful we have been. >> not too many people know this but customs and border protection which is part of dhs is itself largest federal law enforcement agency we have. and when it comes to soft targets, two things come to mind when you say that first, public awareness and public vigilance can make a difference. which is why we have dusted off and revised our if you see something, say something campaign. public awareness can make a difference and has in the past. second, the key to the current environment is partnerships with private organizations, organizations representing businesses, malls, sporting associations and professional organizations. involving more. these kind of partnerships to deal with attack on soft target the public event and the like. >> mr. secretary, i know talking to police officers, they are very happy to have you back again this year. it's a big deal to have you here to be one of the keynote speakers. >> thank you, greta. >> nice to see you. >> thank you. >> and brace yourself with this statistic. every 61 hours another law enforcement officer is killed in the library of duty. and tonight we honor all of them for serving and protecting all of us. and also, i honor their families. their loss inconsolable. former nypd commissioner ray kelly goes "on the record" next. it's more than a network and the cloud. it's reliable uptime. and multi-layered security. it's how you stay connected to each other and to your customers. with centurylink you get advanced technology solutions, including an industry leading broadband network, and cloud and hosting services - all with dedicated, responsive support. with centurylink as your trusted technology partner, you're free to focus on growing your business. centurylink. your link to what's next. ♪rock guitar ♪yeah ♪(rock music) ♪you can't do this, you can't deny ♪they feed us lines, but i won't act♪ ♪and all good things will come to pass♪ ♪but the truth is all you have to have♪ ♪and would you lie for it? ♪cry for it? ♪die for it? ♪would you? ♪i believe ♪believe we're still worth the fight♪ ♪you'll see there's hope for this world tonight♪ ♪i believe, i believe you won't see these folks they have businesseselieve to run. they have passions to pursue. how do they avoid trips to the post office? stamps.com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. get a 4 week trial, plus $100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. go to stamps.com/tv and never go to the post office again. ♪ no, you're not ♪ yogonna watch it! ♪tch it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download on the goooooo! ♪ ♪ you'll just have to miss it! ♪ yeah, you'll just have to miss it! ♪ ♪ we can't let you download... uh, no thanks. i have x1 from xfinity so... don't fall for directv. xfinity lets you download your shows from anywhere. i used to like that song. for 25 years this memorial has honored the law enforcement officers who have sacrificed everything to keep us safe. earlier this month, during national police week, thousands came to the national mall to pay tribute. "on the record" was there. >> thousands are gathering in honor of the men and women in blue. but what does it take to keep us safe? former nypd commissioner vice chairman of k 2 intelligence and author of vigilance, my life serving america and protecting its empire city, ray kelly joins us. good evening, sir. >> good to be with you, greta. >> sir, you have been around law enforcement forever. how has this changed? >> it changed in many ways. i think police throughout the country are much smarter, much pert trained. obviously technology has played a major role. i think the fact that crime has gone down significantly in the last two decades is really the result of smarter policing. more effective policing. as the memorial underscores, it's still a very dangerous job. over 20,000 names on that memorial. people go out, put their lives on the line. put their uniform on and they can certainly lose their lives doing what can be a dangerous job. i believe that event down there is extremely moving mofertion and well done. i commend you for being there and showing it. >> as a commissioner, how do you console the families when the unthinkable happens when a police officer is killed? >> it's only very, very difficult to console. it's now deputy wrenching thing you have to do as a police commissioner. of course, we have over 60 officers die as a result of 9/11 ailments. as far as traumatic deaths, there was 11 on my watch. i remember each of them very clearly. the families are not usually told specifically what happened until they get to the hospital. it's a responsibility of the police commissioner and the mayor. sometimes we do it together. sometimes it was done individually to notify that loved one. believe me, it's never easy. something i personally will never forget. i remember all 11 of them very clearly. >> right now the police officers are all greeting each other. the event starts at 8:00 at the top of the hour. the whole tone of this totally changes at 8:00 when this event starts and when the impact really sort of sets. goes down and the vigil starts and all of a sudden the family members come in this year's mall and it's petraeus taking, commissioner. >> i know. i have been there for it emotional series of events that occur during this week. and can you see the heart break still on the faces of people who come back, who are visiting the memorial as a result of deaths that have happened several years before. it is difficult to get over traumatic deaths like this. >> i'm hoping that this memorial sends a message to law enforcement, even the ones who aren't here. that we do appreciate what they do. commissioner, thank you for joining us this evening. >> thank you. good to be with you. >> and remember that horror at san francisco international airport? july 2013. asiana airlines. crashed attempting a landing on the runway. officer james cunningham was one of the first responders at the scene. officer cunningham joins us. good evening, sir. >> good evening. >> i know you are going to say you were just doing your job, right? >> yes. >> i'm going to let you say that but i know what you did. that plane was broken in half and they thought they had everybody out of that plane. you went back in there. >> yes. >> why did you do that? i just knew those people needed my help. i hate to say it again but i was doing my job. i couldn't leave people behind like that to die in the plane. >> did you even know that people were back there? they thought the plane was cleared. as i understand it, you went back in there and everybody else thought everybody was out. >> thought everybody was out. when i ran around the back of the plane, the tail section had broken off and like a half mile down the runway. and i saw some movement in there. i ran back there to check on it what did you see when you got in there. >> everything was collapsed inside the ceiling. the seats were disarray. looked like a hurricane went through there. i saw people stuck in their seats and there was smoke and fire starting to get hotter inside there i saw the firefighters come down to get people. >> you didn't have special equipment on, did you. >> no. i just had my uniform. >> just your uniform. >> yes. in fact i wore my short sleeves because it was so nice that day. >> did you start pulling one by one out thereof. >> i started removing the luggage to get inside there. and then i climbed over the seats and i met up with the fire department. and trying to lift them up because a lot of times injuries we had to get back boards inside there to lifted people out. >> and after you got everybody out, i heard the thing went up in flames. >> yeah. after we got everybody out top of the thing caught fire and you see the pictures the whole top of the roof disintegrated you got brothers that are cops, too, right? >> yes. to the two brothers. my brother dan cunningham he is a sergeant. my little brother neil cunningham is a sergeant, also. >> what does it mean for you to be here tonight? >> it means a lot to me to be here. this is my first experience here. so it feels solemn. i went by the memorial earlier. seeing people leave notes for loved ones that past away. reminds me how dangerous the job is and effects not just the police officer a lot of families. >> it's unbelievable what you did. you saved lives and huge risk to yourself. i want you to look in that camera and say hi to your family. >> i will say hi to my wife roberta and daughter ashland and twin sons brian and patrick. and my dad. con and aunt sister terry ab er. one other thing i would like to say not only the officers that passed away but others injured on the job that they. >> i got to go. that's all you get. because i never let anybody do it. you said you save lives so i let you do. nice to meet you, sir. >> thank you. >> more from the national mall where thousands are paying tribute to law test test. test every day, thousands of law enforcement officers from coast to coast work to keep us all, and that includes you, safe. thousands gathered at the national mall to support the police during national police week. "on the record's" griff jenkins spoke to some of them. ♪ ♪ >> this is the candlelight vigil thousands of law enforcement officers and their families taking time earlier this month to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty. "on the record" was there when it began, and we stayed around for the memorable evening and even spoke with those who were there. >> this is so powerful. one of the most powerful events in america to look out tonight across that lawn and see all of those candles raised in memory of our fallen heroes. that many thousands of people that are behind them, that are with them. >> i'm here remembering my older brother trooper vincent killed around the line of duty bell city, louisiana. >> some 2300 police officers paid the ultimate price in 2015. where the friends, the families, and the colleagues, this event was a chance to remember and try to come to terms with the awful reality and the sacrifices made by their loved ones. >> i'm the father of fallen trooper eli mccarson. and it was a beautiful service here tonight. >> tell me about eli. >> eli, well, he was the oldest of five brothers. and grew up on 18 acres of woods they were just married this september and on his birthday, december 5th, she was able to share the great news that they were expecting a child and for 12 days they got to celebrate. we rejoice in what god is doing and this gift that she is carrying within her. i know eli loves her so much. >> individual, the least we can do, and just a small tribute to heroes like eli who gave up everything in the line of duty. >> thank you for joining us for this very special "on the record." we now leave with you scenes from the 28th annual national law enforcement officers annual vigil. welcome to "red eye." hello, everyone. i'm tom shillue. let's check in with tv's andy levy at the "red eye" tease deck jie. coming up on the big show, steven king and david eggers and other author sign a petition against trump. glad they found the one thing people read less than books. and david brooks say people dislike hillary clinton because she does president have hobbies. and the last person to suggest that is vince foster. and finally a company has a giant ball you can go into to survive a tsunami and hurricanes. it is also good for a weekend with the in laws. am i right, people? >> let's welcome our guests. she is so anti-p dr she only uses m