Sheriff’s police gather at memorial
Program honors those who gave their lives
So far this year, Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds told an audience gathered Wednesday for his department’s annual police memorial program, 39 officers have been killed in the line of duty across the nation.
Their names will be added to the 21,000 other names on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., he said, adding he often wonders what motivates someone to be an officer and face shift work, low pay, and putting their life on the line for others.
He asks the question of job candidates as well.
“The most common response, and it’s a good one, is they want to give back to the community,” he told the audience at Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso campus, comprised of the sheriff ’s department’s jail and merit officers and their supporters.
The program is held in conjunction with National Police Week, which starts Sunday and culminates with programs in the nation’s capital and honors fallen police officers.
A hero, said Porter County Council President Dan Whitten, D-at large, who previously worked as a police officer, is someone who has given their life for something greater than them, an ordinary person who’s taken extraordinary measures.
“There is no higher honor than law enforcement,” he said.
Police officers, he said, have a fundamental mandate to strive for a better community and are expected to make split-second decisions that affect not only themselves but also the people around them, their families and the community at large.
“That is a daunting task and it’s a huge responsibility,” he said.
The unexpected death earlier this year of his father, Terry Whitten, president of the Portage Township Advisory Board, left Whitten with a void, and like the loss of an officer, it’s a void that’s impossible to fill, he said.
Whitten said he’s been to many memorial services for fallen officers.
“In every single incident, that officer’s death was sudden, tragic and absolutely unnecessary,” he said.
Lt . G o v. Suzanne Crouch said it was an honor to be at the memorial program “with so many heroes who put their lives on the line every day and honor those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our lives.”
Noting the state’s growing economy and increasing technology, Crouch said that while it’s energizing to share great news, it’s equally important to hear from police officers about what they’re doing to keep communities safe and learn what tools they need for their jobs.
“No matter what the situation, you step up and protect each and every one of us every day,” she said.