Duluth Police Remember Officers Killed in Line of Duty

Dec. 11--Duluth police Lt. Scott Jenkins never met Clark County, Ohio, Sheriff's Deputy Suzanne Hopper, but he considers her part of his extended family.

He wears a stainless steel bracelet memorializing her.

Jenkins was moved to remember Hopper and others like her when 11 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during a short period of time earlier this year. He said the string of tragic deaths received very little media attention, and he wanted to do something so people didn't forget his fallen compatriots.

Jenkins and Duluth police initiated a program called "Carry the Fallen" to promote police solidarity and to bring an increased sense of family and healing to everyone affected by police line-of-duty deaths.

Seventy Duluth police officers have committed to wearing a memorial bracelet or necklace with the name and rank, agency and "End-of-Watch" date of officers killed in the line of duty this year.

Hopper was killed on Jan. 1, the first of 147 law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty this year through Thursday. Jenkins said Hopper was shot and killed after responding to a call of a window being shot out at a trailer park. He said Hopper was photographing a footprint when a man opened the door to his trailer and fired one shot from a shotgun, killing her.

"Each of us wearing the badge revere the selfless dedication and ultimate sacrifice these officers made for those we are sworn to protect," Jenkins said. "Each time our profession suffers the death of a sister or brother of the badge, we all carry with us a sense of loss as well as the burden of responsibility to carry on with the same dedication, courage and professionalism as we recognize we are that 'thin blue line' between those who would victimize and those needing our protection. These bracelets symbolize that we will never forget."

Duluth police Officer Steve Pruse wears a bracelet honoring Sgt. Steven Kenner of the Bismarck (N.D.) Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty on July 8. Kenner was Pruse's training officer and eventually his partner when Pruse was a member of the Bismarck force.

Duluth Deputy Police Chief Mike Tusken and Sgt. Ann Clancey wear bracelets honoring a pair of deputies from the Buchanan County, Va., Sheriff's Department.

Deputy William Ezra Stiltner and Deputy Cameron Neil Justus were killed by gunfire on March 13.

"Every day the men and women in law enforcement serve as guardians of our communities by protecting our citizens from crime and disorder," Tusken said. "Our duty comes with grave risk. Police officers are heroic in the sense that we protect others despite fear for our own safety. This program honors law enforcement serving our communities each day and shows respect to our law enforcement brothers and sisters who paid the ultimate sacrifice in that we did not forget them and they did not die in vain."

Jenkins has sent a letter to each of the fallen officers' agencies to introduce them to the Carry the Fallen program and offer condolences. Duluth police have received back letters of appreciation from police departments and sheriff's offices in New York, Virginia, North Dakota and Colorado.

Buchanan County Sheriff Ray Foster wrote Duluth police: "I and the families of Deputy Cameron Neil Justus and Deputy William Ezra Stiltner are honored that Sgt. Ann Clancey and Deputy Chief Michael Tusken will honor their memory in the Carry the Fallen program and wear a bracelet. I applaud your staff for initiating the program."