Officials, members of law enforcement and families gathered in the Missouri State Capitol rotunda on Saturday to honor officers who have died in the line of duty.
During the event, Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Parsons was added to the Law Enforcement Memorial Wall. Parsons had worked for the Washington County Sheriff’s Department for just two months after graduating from the Mineral Area College Law Enforcement Academy before he was killed in the line of duty in December of last year.
Mo. Gov. Jay Nixon spoke during the ceremony, and said the sacrifices of law enforcement officers shouldn’t be taken for granted.
“Bravery and vigilance are constant traits of those who wear the badge,” Nixon said. “It is a courage that is so constant and common place we often take it for granted. ‘Just call the police, they always come.’ We must never take those simple words for granted.”
The last time a year went by without a Missouri law enforcement officer losing his or her life in the line of duty was in 1910.
Mo. Attorney General Chris Koster also spoke during the event.
“To the families of the fallen, that we specifically honor today, let me say how deeply sorry I am for your loss," Koster said. "There are no speeches, no words of consolation, no acts of sympathy that can fill the hole in your lives left by the death of your mother or father, sister or brother, son or daughter, friend of fiancé.”
