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St. Petersburg Police honor fallen officers
On Wednesday, St. Pete Police honored 15 of its fallen at a memorial ceremony. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.
The St. Petersburg Police Department held a ceremony honoring its 15 fallen officers killed in the line of duty.
The Ceremony:
It started at 8:00am at the Heroes of St. Pete Police and Fire Monument at Demons Landing Park.
Police Chief Anthony Holloway was in attendance alongside Mayor Ken Welch and members of city council.
Law enforcement agencies from around the Tampa Bay area also joined the honor guard for this memorial service to help remember and honor those fallen heroes as well as those from around the nation.
It’s a ceremony that makes a big impact each year, remembering and honoring those who have sacrificed so much.
"It’s very important because we want to make sure we remind families that we’re not going to forget about those 15 men who put their lives on the lives each and every day and again, those officers who put their uniforms on every day that we honor them. We respect them, we will always pay tribute to those who have gone before them," Chief Holloway said.
The 15 officers honored included:
- James J. Mitchell
- Edward A. George
- Wayne M. Barry
- Eugene W. Minor
- Frank A. Pike
- James W. Thornton
- William G. Newberry
- James J. Goodson
- Gene A. Bessette
- James A. Krupp
- Charles L. Eustes
- Herbert R. Sullivan
- Jeffrey A. Yaslowitz
- Thomas J. Baitinger
- David S. Crawford
The deaths spanned from 1905 to 2011. The last three were in 2011, where three were killed by gunfire. 2011 was the deadliest in the department’s modern history.
For more information on the St. Pete police department, click here.
The Source: Sources for this web article were gathered from live interviews with the St. Pete Police Department.