(LONDON, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and members of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy joined law enforcement officers from throughout the state today to honor six Ohio peace officers who died in the line of duty in 2011.
"Every day, Ohio's peace officers, just like officers across the country, put themselves between us, our family, and harm's way," said Attorney General DeWine during the 25th annual Ohio Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony in London, Ohio. "The loss of any peace officer is a sobering reminder of the very real risks that they, and their fellow officers, willingly accepted to 'serve and protect.'"
Those honored today include:
- Deputy Suzanne Hopper, Clark County Sheriff's Office: Killed by an armed suspect on January 1, 2011, Deputy Hopper was the first law enforcement officer in the nation killed in the line of duty in 2011.
- Officer Thomas Hayes, Columbus Division of Police: On January 20, 2011, Officer Hayes died from complications resulting from a gunshot wound that he sustained in 1979 while trying to arrest two disorderly teens.
- Officer Jonathan Bastock, Stow Police Department: Officer Bastock died on February 5, 2011, of complications from an injury sustained while making a traffic stop a month earlier.
- Captain Daniel Stiles, Uniontown Police Department: Captain Stiles died after he was struck by a car while directing traffic near a local school on February 15, 2011.
- Officer Andrew Dunn, Sandusky Police Department: Officer Dunn was shot and killed on March 19, 2011, after trying to question a suspicious person on a bicycle. The suspect is awaiting trial and could be sentenced to death.
- Sergeant Brian Dulle, Warren County Sheriff's Office: Sgt. Dulle died moments after deploying stop sticks in an effort to stop a pursuit suspect on May 10, 2011. The driver lost control of his car and struck Dulle, who died instantly.
The names of six historical inductees were also added to the Ohio Fallen Officers' Memorial Wall. Through research, it was discovered they had made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities in the past.
- George Brenner, Wellington Police Department, July 18, 1883
- Thomas Roach Jr., Newark Police Department, November 29, 1886
- Spooner Crapo, Rochester Village Police Department, November 11, 1905
- Charles Lind, Cincinnati Police Division, July 5, 1908
- David Barnes, New York Central RR Police Department, July 28, 1920
- Robert Leigh, Cincinnati Police Division, April 27, 1940
The Ohio Fallen Officers' Memorial Wall is a lasting tribute to Ohio's 749 officers killed in the line of duty since 1823.
Media Contacts:
Lisa Peterson-Hackley: 614-466-3840
Jill Del Greco: 614-466-3840