Law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Indiana and across the nation were remembered during Columbus’ annual memorial service at the Public Safety Plaza downtown.
The 163 lawmen and law-women who died in the line of duty across the nation last year “sacrificed their lives in pursuit of justice, protection of the weak, and in service to their communities,” Columbus Police Dept. chaplain John Bundick said during the ceremony.
Bundick also said tribute needed to be paid to current first responders “for the long days and nights, miles driven, paperwork completed, training hours put in, decisions made, insults taken, meetings endured and injuries sustained.”
Of the 163 U.S. officers killed in the line of duty in 2018, also remembered were the 27 who died of illnesses or injuries caused by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington.
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Even though 17 years have passed since those attacks, 9/11 related illnesses were the second leading cause of death among police, firefighters and first responders — right behind gunfire.
More than 40 officers representing all local branches of law enforcement, as well as Columbus firefighters, stood at attention throughout the ceremony.
Among the retirees, city employees and elected officials who attended, the more than 60-member audience included business people including two Realtors from Berkshire-Hathaway Home Services Indiana.
Realtor Shari Soncrant said she has noticed a significant difference among police, firefighters, medics and other first-responders in Columbus than those in her former hometown of Toledo, Ohio.
Soncrant said local first responders’ outreach efforts is very evident locally.
“You can see how they work to connect with the community,” she said.“And these people lay their lives on the line every day for us,” Realtor Barry Czachura said.
The least we can do is support them while they honor their dead.”
Five Indiana officers died in the line of duty in 2018. They were:
Sgt. Benton Hurley Bertram, Charlestown Police Dept., who died Dec. 12, 2018 during vehicle pursuit.
Officer David Alexander Tinsley, Fort Wayne Police Dept., who died Sept. 11, 2018, following a heart attack.
Officer Robert Shawn Pitts, Terre Haute Police Dept., who died May 4, 2018, by gunfire.
Deputy Jacob Matthew Pickett, Boone County Sheriff’s Dept, who died March 5, 2018, by gunfire.
Sgt. Edward Ronald Bollman, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, who died Feb. 13, 2018, by drowning.
While Bollman and Pickett were recognized last year, this year’s ceremony was briefly paused when the names of Bertram, Tinsley, and Pitts were read. The pause allowed an officer to step forward and place a red rose on the memorial wreath, followed by a slow and solemn salute.
“Most of us are not meant to bear this heavy burden for our fellow men,” sheriff’s chaplain Keith Maddox said. “These are the heroes who serve us and protect us at the worst of times. No one has greater love than to lay down their lives for others.”
Although it has been 12 years since Ed Reuter retired from the Indiana State Police, the now-executive director of the statewide 911 board says he’ll never forget the southern Indiana officers who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.
One was Reuter’s close friend, Sgt. John Hatfull of Evansville, who was shot and killed in 1987 while trying to talk a man out of shooting himself during a two-and-a-half hour standoff.
Reuter also noted the ceremony was taking place onthe 74th anniversary of the death of Columbus native and Indiana State Police trooper George Forster, who was killed in an automobile accident in southern Jennings County.
The last officer killed in the line of duty in Bartholomew County was State Police trooper Earl L. Brown, who died Aug. 31, 1955, after being shot by a suspicious person who was walking on what is now State Road 11 near Columbus. The local Fraternal Order of Police lodge is named in his honor.
In addition to the 163 officers, the ceremony also paid tribute to 28 police canines killed in the line of duty last year.
The ceremony, which is held in commemoration of National Police Week, also featured area law enforcement Honor Guards, bagpipes, a 15-gun salute and the playing of taps.
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In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day – and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.
The observance pays tribute to the local, state, and federal peace officers who have died, or who have been disabled, in the line of duty.
The event is sponsored by the National Fraternal Order of Police and is implemented by the FOP Memorial Committee.
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Gunfire – 52
9/11 related illness – 27
Automobile crash – 26
Heart attack – 18
Struck by vehicle – 6
Vehicle pursuit – 5
Duty-related illness – 5
Drowned – 4
Motorcycle crash – 3
Assault – 3
Struck by train – 2
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