Officers killed in the line of duty honored in memorial
Posted: 05/15/12 08:09 The Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial in Grand Island was the site of a ceremony yesterday morning honoring the lives of officers who have died or been killed in the line of duty in Nebraska. Family, friends, fellow officers, and the public gathered at the Memorial to pay tribute to the fallen and to recognize the service and sacrifice of all law enforcement officers. State and local dignitaries were on hand to pay their respects. Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy provided opening remarks. The ceremony included the addition of two names to the Memorial. Lancaster County Sheriff’s Deputy William Johnson died of a heart attack in March 1959, while transporting a prisoner, and U.S. Park Police Officer Julie A. Weir, who was killed in a car crash near Kearney in February 2011.
2011 saw 166 law enforcement officers make the ultimate sacrifice for their communities. The names of those who lost their lives in 2011 will be added to the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial in Washington, DC during this year’s memorial ceremony. Captain Gene Boner with the Hastings Police department says it’s all part of an entire week that honors law enforcement officers who gave their lives to serve their community. Boner says even though members of the Hastings Police Department may have never met the 166 law enforcement officers that were killed this year, they still feel the loss. On the National Law Enforcement Memorial are the names of two Hastings Police Officers, Joel Conklin, who was shot and killed on Saturday, October 9, 1993, and Clarence Balcom died from a gunshot wound on Tuesday, August 7, 1888.
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