COLUMBUS – Ohio law enforcement officials remember their fallen comrades Thursday in the annual Ohio Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony Ohio in London, honoring the 791 Ohio peace officers killed in the line of duty since 1823.
Attorney General Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission joined officers from across the state during this year’s ceremony on the grounds of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.
A Fraternal Order of Police Memorial Motorcade proceeded from the Fraternal Order of Police Ohio State Lodge on E. Town Street in Columbus to the ceremony on State Route 56 in London.
Four Ohio officers who died in the line of duty in 2017 (see above): Officer David J. Fahey Jr., of the Cleveland Division of Police, on Jan. 24; Chief Steven “Eric” DiSario, of the Kirkersville Police Department, on May 12; Patrolman Marvin “Scott” Moyer, of the Lancaster Police Department, on May 26, and Officer Justin Leo, of the Girard Police Department, on Oct. 21, 2017.
DeWine will also honor five historical inductees: Constable Franklin Stone, Oberlin Police Department, June 5, 1881; Deputy Samuel J. Mautz, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, July 11, 1921; Deputy Marshal Donald O. McLaughlin, Beverly Police Department, August 16, 1970; Patrolman Bradley T. Scott, Elyria Police Department, August 27, 2004; and Sergeant Martin A. Stanton, Cleveland Division of Police, September 27, 2010.
The names of the nine officers will be added to the Ohio Fallen Officers’ Memorial Wall.
In addition, the names of two law enforcement K-9 officers killed in the line of duty will be added to a plaque displayed inside the academy: K-9 Dino, Green Township Police Department, and K-9 Uganda, Perkins Township Police Department.
A moment of silence will also be observed for Officer Eric Joering and Officer Anthony Morelli, both of the Westerville Police Department, who were killed on February 10 and will be formally honored at the memorial ceremony in 2019.