Police Memorial held for fallen Texas officers

On May 20, police officers from the surrounding communities of Belton gathered together to honor the 11 fallen Texas police officers who lost their lives in 2015 protecting and to dedicate the Bell County Law Enforcement Memorial.

“I want to thank each and every one of you for taking some time out of your day to honor not only local but nationally the fallen heroes of our police departments. It is a true level of dedication when someone lays down their own life for someone they don’t even know. We want to thank those of you who have served with such virtue,” said Mayor Pro Tem City of Belton David K. Leigh.

According to beltontexas.gov, the dedication will be part of the Bell County Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony, which is an annual tribute to honor law enforcement personnel killed in the line of duty. Part of this year's Leadership Belton class selected the memorial as a class project. To date, the group has received support (donations of funds or services) from more than 30 donors, including flag poles from Belton Rotary Club, design services from Fine Line Design and Build, memorial plaques from Harper-Talasek Funeral Home, electrical services from R.K. Bass Electric, and landscape services from Heart of Texas Landscaping. The total estimated value of the project is approximately $45,000.

The ceremony is scheduled each year during National Police Week. According to nleomf.org, in 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. There are approximately 900,000 police officers serving in communities across the United States. Nearly 16,000 assaults on law enforcement officers are reported each year resulting in over 14,000 injuries with over 20,000 officers making the ultimate sacrifice; Texas having lost the most officers than any other state.

In honor and remembrance of Corrections Officer V Eligio Ruis Garcia, Jr.; Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Corrections Officer V Christopher A. Davis; Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Police Officer Richard K. Martin; Houston Police Department, Detective Sergeant Christopher Dan Kelley; Hutto Police Department, Sergeant Korby Lee Kennedy; San Angelo Police Department, Corrections Officer II Timothy A. Davison; Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Detention Officer Tronoski Dontel Jones; Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Sheriff Darren H. Goforth; Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Constable Jeffrey Emmons Radford; Bell County Constable’s Office, Sergeant William Karl Keesee; Texas Department of Public Safety, and Chief Darrell Lamond Allen; Marlin Police Department.