As trumpeters blew echo taps and a bagpipe played "Amazing Grace," the Honolulu Police Department last night tearfully remembered its 39 officers who have given their lives in the line of duty.

The department's annual memorial service was held at the Holy Family Catholic Church and brought together family and friends of many of the officers killed since 1903.

Gov. Linda Lingle, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and other officials participated in the solemn ceremony.

As the names of the fallen officers were read, a candle was lit for each one, from John Ma-helona, who died in November 1903, to to Issac Veal, the last officer to die, in August 2004.

Kay Lindemann Allen has been to more than 10 of these ceremonies. Her father, Ernest Lindemann, was killed on Oct. 30, 1969, the only volunteer reserve officer to die while on duty.

For Allen, taking part in the ceremony is a way of honoring her father's memory and to "think good thoughts of him." Allen was 24 when her father was fatally shot.

"Coming to a service like this makes you realize how precious life really is, and you see what can happen to people," Allen said.

"It just makes you think a lot about how things can be changed when people do stupid things."

Reserve officers work at least once a week but are not paid. Lindemann, a reservist for 18 years, had responded to a domestic argument when he got into a scuffle with a man and was shot with his own revolver.

Allen, who wears an HPD badge pendant with her father's badge number, said her father enjoyed being a reserve officer.

"If he had a bad beat that he didn't like, he would be calling to transfer and try to get a busier beat," she said.

Among the speakers last night was Donna Veal, whose husband, Issac, was killed when his Dodge Durango crashed as he responded to a call in Mililani.

The couple's son, Jeffrey, has followed in his father's footsteps and is now an HPD officer.

Donna Veal thanked the department for coming to her family's aid after her husband's death. She urged the dozens of officers at last night's service to work together to serve the public.

"I challenge you to continue with the tradition that many have given their lives for," she said. "To stand for right, to protect the weak, to catch the bad guys. You are the good guys."

Reach Curtis Lum at culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.