Delco salutes fallen lawmen at Rose Tree Park ceremony
UPPER PROVIDENCE » Law enforcement and community members gathered Wednesday at the county’s Law Enforcement Memorial at Rose Tree Park to commemorate police officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty.
Forty-three names were read as part of the 21st annual Day of Remembrance Ceremony, held by the Delaware County Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
Of special remembrance was Newtown Township Police Sgt. Clinton J. Cunningham, 37, who died March 19 after collapsing while working out at the Ellis Athletic Center in Newtown Square. Suffering a cerebral hemorrhage, he was rushed to the emergency room but never regained consciousness. He left behind a wife and four young children.
Cunningham was named the 2018 Walt Woff recipient for Officer of the Year and had received 19 awards for bravery, heroism and merit in his 13 years as a police officer.
“We honor him,” Delaware County Council Chairman John McBlain said, “and continue to pray for his friends and family, his wife and their four young children ... Today, we remember and honor him, secure in the knowledge that Sgt. Cunningham had at least 43 brothers and sisters meet him as he continues his journey in the next life.”
McBlain was referring to the 43 names etched on the Delaware County Law Enforcement Memorial, some dating back to 1924, others as recent as 2013. Each name was read and a rose was placed before each marker Wednesday.
“As we look at the memorial and hear the names of the 43 men and women who were killed in the line of duty, we are reminded that when each of you answer a call, you are putting your lives on the line,” McBlain said to the extensive law enforcement presence attending. “Every call. Every car stop. Every citizen’s contact presents a threat and a danger.”
He noted that 800,000 emergency calls came to Delaware County’s 911 center last year.
“And our first responders answered every call without hesitation, knowing that danger was a possibility,” he said. “We know that peace and protection of our families, our businesses and our neighborhoods comes at a cost and I assure you we do not take your courage and dedication for granted.”
Also attending the ceremony was the Police Unity Tour. The tour is a group of bicyclists who organized in 1997 with 18 riders biking form Fordham Park, N.J., to Washington as a way to bring awareness of police officers who died in the line of duty and to honor their sacrifice. Today, the tour numbers 2,500 across the country.
The risk was also underscored by Delaware County District Attorney Katayoun Copeland.
“Day in, day out, while we sleep peacefully in our homes, you brave men and women of law enforcement protect us,” she said. “You leave the sanctity of your own homes, you leave your families, you put your lives in danger to make sure we are safe. That is the very definition of a hero – someone who puts community before self, who risks their life for the benefit of all.”
Copeland stressed the appreciation held by Delaware County for all they do.
“For your service, for your commitment, for your willingness to stand in harm’s way to protect us, we are all forever grateful,” she said. “As we gather here today in this hallowed ground, the reality of the loss that we have faced as a law enforcement community is sadly all too clear. We stand among fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for all. We will forever owe a debt of gratitude to those heroes and to their families, a debt that we can never repay.”
Former county councilman and local businessman Dave White spoke of the risk these officers face in giving the keynote address.
He spoke how police keep neighborhoods safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether in uniform or in plain clothes.
“They are forever watching and caring for friends and neighbors, some of those neighbors which they have never met,” said White, a Republican who lost a re-election bid last year.
He talked about how times have changed and gave a litany of challenges facing the police community: Terrorists unafraid to kill innocent people; cyber crimes; misuse of social media; the scourge of the heroin epidemic; and high powered weapons and technology.
In that list, he included protests, saying, “and some of those protests are even against the police officers that are sworn to protect us as well as the protestors.”
White offered his thanks for the work that they do.
“We know that the peace and protection of our families and our businesses and our neighborhoods comes at a great cost,” he said. “The proof of that cost is the plaques that line these walls. We know that you put your lives on the lines every time you report for duty. We will never forget the heroes of Delaware County law enforcement.”
“We honor him and continue to pray for his friends and family, his wife and their four young children ... Today, we remember and honor him, secure in the knowledge that Sgt. Cunningham had at least 43 brothers and sisters meet him as he continues his journey in the next life.”
— Delaware County Council Chairman John McBlain