Law Enforcement Memorial honors heroes
EL CENTRO — The lives and legacies of 41 local, state and federal law enforcement personnel were memorialized Friday during the 10th annual Imperial Valley Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony at the El Centro courthouse.
The somber ceremony included a steady procession of law enforcement personnel, who took turns depositing a white rose in an urn and ringing a ceremonial bell as the name of each fallen individual was announced.
The ceremony also paid tribute to the 135 law enforcement personnel who died in the line of duty nationwide in 2017, the state’s eight deaths in 2017, as well as the 49 law enforcement personnel who have died so far this year across the country.
El Centro Sector Chief Border Patrol Agent Gloria Chavez paid homage to the 127 agents who have been killed in the line of duty since 1924, including 10 locally.
Chavez also commemorated the lives of three agents whose names will soon be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“The legacy they helped build, along with the 41 brave men and women we honor here today, is a monument more powerful than any made from steel, stone, iron or wood,” Chavez said.
During her remarks, Chavez also offered words of consolation and praise to the surviving family members of those who have paid the “ultimate sacrifice” in the defense of their communities and country.
“It is the families of our law enforcement officers who are just as strong, if not stronger, than those of us who pin on the badge,” Chavez said. “Your perseverance is an inspiration for those of us who put on this uniform.”
Currently, individual local, state and federal agencies typically have their own memorials honoring their fallen personnel at their respective stations, said El Centro Police Department Cmdr. Alvaro Ramirez.
Yet, plans are also underway by the Imperial Valley Law Enforcement Memorial Committee to establish and dedicate a centralized memorial honoring all of the Valley’s fallen personnel.
That proposed memorial would be located at Pioneers Museum, adjacent to the memorial that is dedicated to fallen armed services members.
“Our fallen officers will take their place besides our nation’s fallen heroes,” Ramirez said.
The ceremony at the El Centro courthouse also included American flags planted on the lawn that represented the local 41 deaths. The flag poles also included information about the Valley’s fallen heroes.
Thanks to the research of the Imperial County Historical Society, two additional names were added to the roster of fallen law enforcement officers for this year’s ceremony, including William “Bill” Tackett, a Holtville Police Department officer who died in 1958.
Additionally, the death of county Sheriff’s Office Deputy Walter Lee Henry in 1944 was also recognized for the first time on Friday.
His granddaughter, Julie Gaddis attended the ceremony and was presented in his honor with the folded American flag that had flown at half-mast throughout the hour-long ceremony.
Gaddis spoke of the sacrifices that her grandfather had endured for sake of his family and country and how that has shaped the lives of surviving family members.
“Our family is so inspired by his legacy that we hope to honor him in our lives by being willing to put one’s hopes and dreams aside for the sake of family,” Gaddis said.
The annual ceremony also included the presence of a riderless horse, a tradition that is steeped in symbolism that dates back to the Roman age. The ceremony closed with a moment of silence and a candlelight vigil that used glow sticks in place of candles, as well as those in attendance singing “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” in unison.