Troy Police Honor Fallen Officers

In 2016, 143 officers were killed in the line of duty, including three campus public safety officers.

Karen Levesque’s brother, Officer Kevin Ambrose, was killed in the line of duty, dealing with a domestic dispute five years ago.

As apart of the ceremony, a bell was rung to honor every officer.

Police Week 2017 has witnessed the names of 394 officers newly etched in those stone walls, forever memorializing their honor, bravery and sacrifice.

“You know, whenever I go to a badge-pinning, I always want to let the men and women and their families know we have their back”, Patino said before reading the proclamation “Here in Santa Maria, we believe law enforcement’s extremely important”.

“You know, being a student and getting into law enforcement it’s there every day that it could very well be my family that’s up there”, says Steven Flanagan, a deputy sheriff with Hand County and part of the academy in Pierre.

Wednesday’s ceremony started with a procession of police vehicles, including a special flyover by the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office helicopter. These 394 officers include 143 officers who were killed during 2016, plus 251 officers who died in previous years but whose stories of sacrifice had been lost to history until now. “This was a loss not just for the police department but for the community at large”, Gunter says. Each name of a fallen officer from the city, county and state police was read aloud. “In this day and time, you don’t get a lot of this”, she added, referring to the issue of respect for law enforcement.

Stephens also urges people to allow their children to meet and interact with law enforcement officers whenever they can.

“It’s not how these officers died that made them heroes”, Sterling said, “but how they lived”.

Winona County law enforcement officers honored their own Wednesday.

“Our weekend will be highlighting the sacrifices these men made not only for NY, but the entire nation”, he said.

LBC breakfast presenter Nick Ferrari said: “After the tragic events in London which resulted in the death of a courageous police officer, there can surely be no better time to remember the sacrifices that officers like he and others have given down the years”.

Boke said she agreed with Rotert’s description of the department, and she and the councilmembers offered their thanks to the officers.

McCollum reminded those in attendance of the deaths of local law enforcement officials since 2000, when Mark Hiatt of the Bryan Police Department was killed in a motorcycle crash.