Community Remembers Ind. Deputy 4 Years after Fatal Shooting

Members of the Boone County Sheriff's Office, as well as local families, enjoyed playing corn hole and law enforcement demonstrations during Jake Pickett Remembrance Day.

March 7, 2022

4 min read

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By Maria Flora

Source The Lebanon Reporter, Ind.

Police officers, their family and supporters enjoyed an afternoon of corn hole and camaraderie Saturday at the Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds in Lebanon.

Children delighted in shaking hands with, or just staring at, muscle-bound Boone County Special Response Team members walking around in camouflage. Many of the tots were children of local police officers.

Boone County Sheriff's Deputy John Barnes donned a padded bite suit and let Whitestown Police Officer Whitney Lushin's K-9 partner Albert bite him during a police dog demonstration. The audience was vocal in its appreciation, especially the children who laughed and squealed at Barnes' antics to hype the dog and entertain the crowd.

Decoys are crucial in training police dogs. "The minute the dog leaves my hands, now the decoy is the trainer, he's the handler of that dog," Lushin said. Barnes moves in ways a suspect might to challenge Albert and make him solve problems, and Barnes must position his body in a way that allows Albert to get a firm bite, but not injure himself.

Albert was also having fun Saturday, and charged at Barnes just when the encounter appeared to be over, causing peals of laughter from the bleachers. Barnes took a bow at the end, and his young daughter broke free of the bleachers to hold his hand and smile up at him while her peers applauded.

Albert is a dual-purpose dog trained for patrol and finding narcotics. He lives with Lushin and his family. Lushin's preschool-aged daughter wanted to check on Albert in her dad's air-conditioned police cruiser and get a kiss from him after the demonstration.

"She gives him hugs and kisses anytime we go anywhere," Lushin, a seasoned dog trainer, said.

Dog, SRT and Boone County Sheriff's Honor Guard demonstrations were all part of the fourth annual Jake Pickett Remembrance Day, which offered more activities and more visitors than ever this year.

Pickett, a Boone County Sheriff's deputy, was fatally shot while on duty March 2, 2018. He and his K-9 partner, Brik, were helping Lebanon Police with a drug bust at the time. Picket was known to love animals and to go out of his way to aid animals and people in need.

The outpouring of help from the community after Pickett's death was so great that his widow, Jennifer, learned that even small gestures add up to ease burdens. She and friends soon formed the non-profit Jacob Pickett Response Organization to help ease financial tolls and other challenges brought on by life's traumatic events for other law enforcement families.

Proceeds this year will help the family of Hamilton County Deputy Doug Sanford who was hospitalized with COVID-19 in December. Sanford is currently dependent on a ventilator and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, another type of life support machine, organizers said.

Officers from agencies all over the county came to Lebanon to work and help the day Pickett died. They and their spouses gathered quietly at the fairgrounds that night to grieve and support one another. And the community poured out gratitude and acts of love on Pickett's family and the law enforcement community over the next few weeks.

Many of those same families return to the fairgrounds for Jake Pickett Remembrance Days and spend time together, reflecting and sharing their work lives with the community. Being committed to service, many give blood to the American Red Cross while they're there.

And, of course, there are the children who want to stand near a uniformed officer for a bit. Curly haired 3-year-old Xayler Allen came in a toddler sized navy shirt that said "Police" across his back. Xayler ran to Lushin after the dog demonstration. Lushhin crouched to get at eye level, and Xayler just stared at him with large eyes, never saying a word.

"Do you want to sit in my car and run the lights," Lushin asked.

Xayler nodded yes and let Lushin lift him into the SUV.

To donate, or to keep up with the Jacob Pickett Response Organization and upcoming events, including a polo match, visit the website at https://remembering626.org/about/.

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