Memorial ceremony remembers officers lost in the line of duty
Members of the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, Millersburg Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol united on the Holmes County Courthouse lawn to honor and commemorate fallen officers during the annual Law Enforcement Memorial.
Every year law enforcement throughout the nation tabs a special day to honor its members who have served and fallen in the line of duty.
On the lawn of the Holmes County Courthouse on May 16, members of the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, Millersburg Police Department and Ohio State Highway Patrol united to honor those who serve in law enforcement and to pay homage to members who have died in the past year during their time in service.
In opening the ceremony, Millersburg Police Chief Matthew Shaner welcomed everyone in attendance and shared a bit about this important day.
“This is a day people don’t like to think about or talk about, but it has to be in your mind,” Shaner said, adding local law-enforcement members are grateful for a community that shows the utmost respect for its law enforcement.
Following an invocation by retired Lt. Eldon Trubee, Brand Boyle provided a rendition of the national anthem.
State Rep. Mark Hiner, guest speaker, then addressed the importance of recognizing law officers and first responders.
“Today we pause to reflect, not in celebration but for remembrance. We are here to honor those who have worn the badge, served our communities and unfortunately can’t be here with us today,” Hiner said. “This ceremony reminds us of the high cost of public safety and the deep debt we owe to the men and women who serve.”
Hiner talked about sacrifices made and said there was never a wrong time to honor and recognize those who have given in service and continue to stand guard in the name of peace.
“It’s important to honor these members and their families,” Hiner said. “We ask them to go into harm’s way, and sometimes it doesn’t turn out well, and it’s important that we stand behind them and their families.”
Hiner said it is not glamorous work and is often thankless, but these men and women believe in serving others, even in the face of great personal cost, but they do so not for glory or recognition, but as a way to serve in something they believe is a calling.
“The badge isn’t worn for attention, but it is worn for the symbol of duty, courage and sacrifice,” Hiner said. “It is an extraordinary job that demands extraordinary people. When they serve well, and they all do, they change lives and they save lives.”
Hiner said like in any profession, not every officer is perfect, but the majority do so with the purpose of serving their communities to their fullest.
He said remembering the fallen officers should come with a sense of having their legacy live on, and people should remember them with humility and gratitude. He also painted each member as not only a member of law enforcement, but also family members who are big parts of their communities, regular people with regular lives.
He said those who lost their lives in active duty left behind families and friends who now have a part of them missing.
“It is said that when a police officer dies, a part of the community dies with them,” Hiner said. “I believe something else lives on — an example, a sense of duty and a reminder of what it means to live with purpose.”
Following Hiner’s speech, Capt. Brad Conn, who spearheads this memorial, honored four Ohio law-enforcement members who lost their lives during active duty. That list included Andrew Lansing, who was assaulted while serving as a corrections officer for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction; officer Jacob Derbin, who was slain while serving with the Euclid Police Department; officer Jamieson Ritter of the Cleveland Division of Police, who was killed in action; and Lt. Rodney Osborne of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
Chief Deputy Richard Haun, Capt. Jeffrey Lay and OSHP Lt. Cristian Perrin then read the names of Holmes County and the OSHP’s honored members.
After Capt. Timothy Stryker made the presentation of arms, Larry Purdy offered a rendition of taps on the trumpet as all officers came to attention to honor the fallen.
Together as a community, those who attended this event paid homage to police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice.