The parking lot of Boston Police Department C-11’s Gibson Street station house was cleared of patrol cars and filled with the families and friends of police officers last Saturday (Sept. 15) for the third annual Memorial Wall dedication ceremony and family fun day.

This year, the officers of C-11 added to the wall the names and photos of seven officers and first responders who died in recent years, some in the line of duty: Dorchester resident and school traffic supervisor Marie Conley, who was struck fatally while saving a youngster from a speeding vehicle in 2008, Officer Walter E. Harris, Sergeant Diana Green, Officer James Pokaski, Sergeant Joseph Griffin, Officer Bernard Kelly, and Bridget Mary McCarthy, a longtime civilian employee at station 11.

Mayor Martin Walsh, Police Commissioner William Gross and officers of C-11 were present at the event, which began with a blessing by Fr. Sean Conner and opening remarks by Officer Jimmy Doiron.

Doiron, who is credited with spearheading the Memorial Wall’s development, began by explaining its history to the crowd. It began in 2016 with just one plaque, and grew over the past two years as officers added 12 more honorees, each featuring a name and a portrait.

“Never, ever, do we leave anyone behind, and never, ever, do we forget anyone because that’s how we actually progress,” Commissioner Gross said. “We learn from folks that have made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Gross expressed his pride at being in C-11 for this day of remembrance and celebration, and the depth of his gratitude to the families of the fallen officers and BPD employees.

The honorees “were not taken for granted; they were not just a flash in the pan. They will always be with us here forever and ever as long as we carry on in this great Boston police department,” Gross said.

Doiron read a biography of each officer and employee added to the wall this year and Officer Dario Fancelli read the memorial entry for Mrs. Conley, the mother of four who was born Marie Finn. She was raised in Dorchester alongside her three brothers, including Boston Fire Commissioner Joe Finn.

Fancelli explained that Marie began working for the Boston Police Department in 2000 at age 51 as a school traffic supervisor and was assigned to the Mather School on Meetinghouse Hill in 2008. On Oct. 21, 2008, she saved a 10-year-old from walking into the path of an onrushing car just seconds before it struck her. She later died from her wounds. An 86-year-old motorist was charged and convicted in her death.

Commissioner Finn was present at the ceremony honoring his sister, along with other members of the Finn and Conley families. “It meant a lot to our family,” he said. “It’s coming up on her tenth-year anniversary, and that the people she worked with, her colleagues, didn’t forget and keep her memory alive, it’s heartwarming for the family. He added, “it was an honor being there for all the other families, too.”

In 2009, Mrs. Conley posthumously was given the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for citizen bravery under remarkable circumstances, and in 2011 she was honored with a Citizen Before Self Service award from the Medal of Honor Foundation—one of the highest awards that a civilian can receive.

After the seven honorees had been remembered, the mayor spoke to the assembled, thanking the families and officers present, and underscoring the value of this tradition at C-11 in a time “when officers can be seen as the enemy by many. There’s a lot of times where there’s a lot of criticism that goes around,” he said, adding, “We don’t hear the stories of Marie, we don’t hear the stories of Diana, we don’t hear the stories of Mary ... We don’t hear the stories of the things they did that were absolutely incredible. It’s always focused on the negative side, and I want you to know that there are more people in the city, and more people in this country that appreciate the all the work that happens in these districts throughout the city and throughout the country than people who don’t.”

Mrs. McCarthy, who was born Mary Bridget Brett in Dorchester’s St. Margaret’s parish, worked at the front desk on Gibson Street stationhouse for 30 years. She died last April after a lengthy illness.