Outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Lincoln Tuesday afternoon a ceremony to honor fallen officers from the Lincoln Police Department and Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office was held . The annual observance is part of National Peace Officers Memorial Week was held at the law enforcement memorial outside of the Hall of Justice.
LPD Police Chief Michon Morrow paid tribute to all of the fallen officers. “We honor them by living their values that they have held and that we will continue to uphold in their honor,” Morrow says. “The service, doing so with integrity, accountability and compassion.”
Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner read the names of the deputies who have died or were killed in the line of duty: Sergeant Franklin Furrer 1932, Deputy William D. Johnson in 1959, Deputy Craig Dodge in 1987 and Deputy Sheriff Troy Bailey in 2020.
Lincoln Police Captain Don Scheinost read the names of the seven LPD officers: Captain Charles E. Hall in 1917, Special Duty Patrolman Marion F. Marshall in 1932, Officer Richard E. Leyden in 1949, Detective Lieutenant Frank H. Soukup in 1966, Detective Paul B. Whitehead 1967, Officer George W. Welter in 1968, and Investigator Mario Herrera in 2020.
“This is an opportunity to recognize and honor those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty while serving and protecting others,” Scheinost says. Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird proclaimed May 13th as Peace Officers Memorial Day in Lincoln.