The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office remembered fellow law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty with their annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service.
Click here: For photos from Tuesday's Law Enforcement Memorial Service
On Tuesday morning, the public along with members of local law enforcement agencies were invited to the Sheriff’s Administration Building in East Milton in order to memorialize the fallen officers with a brief ceremony. Sheriff Wendell Hall led the service, which also included a message from Pastor David Spencer of the First Baptist Church of Milton. The memorial program also included a presentation of colors, wreath and flag presentations, a rifle salute and bagpipe music from Michael Vazzana.
Although no law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in Santa Rosa County this year, Hall said two of his deputies nearly lost thier lives in two separate incidents.
In March, Deputy Joshua Toole was involved in traffic collision while transporting an inmate. In April, Deputy Matt Ray sustained injuries after being attacked by a Navarre resident with a sword-like weapon. Fortunately, both officers are still recovering from each incident, Hall said.
“We had a couple of close calls this year, but we should never forget those that made the ultimate sacrifice,” Hall said.
Officers and staff from several law enforcement agencies attended the event, including the Milton Police Department, the Florida Highway Patrol and the State Attorney’s Office, among others.
Hall said regardless of department, unit or title, law enforcement as a whole is like a family.
Captain Tony Tindell of the Milton Police Department agreed.
“If someone in law enforcement does pass away in the line of duty, it effects us all and it means something to us all, because it could have been one of us,” Tindell said. “There is such a thing as a law enforcement family and we are all part of it.”
In addition to pay tribute and honoring fallen law enforcement, the memorial also recognizes the family members affected by their loved one’s sacrifice.
Pace resident Marty Heist-Brown knows about mourning the passing of a loved one in law enforcement. Her husband, Doug Heist was fatally shot in 1980 while working as a deputy with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
“(Doug) was almost with the sheriff’s office for 10 years,” she said. “He turned 42 on April 23 and got shot on the 29th.”
Although Doug gave his life in the line of duty, it has not deterred his family from pursuing law enforcement careers. Brown said several family members including in-laws have gone into law enforcement. Brown, herself, served as a correctional officer and a reserve sheriff’s deputy, before retiring from the bails bond business in 1994.
“They are a law enforcement family, they respect these guys so much,” she said.
The sheriff’s office recognized the following Florida law enforcement officers who died this past year
· Deputy Sheriff Jonathan Pine of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
· Deputy Sheriff Christopher Smith of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office
· Officer Mark Larson of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
· Police Officer Robert German of the Windermere Police Department
· Police Officer Charles Kondek of the Tarpon Springs Police Department
· Trooper Chelsea Richard of the Florida Highway Patrol
The sheriff’s office also recognized ‘Baron’ from the K-9 unit of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office as the lone fallen canine in the state of Florida.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: SheriffÂ’s Office remembers fallen officers with memorial ceremony (PHOTOS, VIDEO)