Police Department

Fallen Officers Remembered

Julie Humphreys, 509.622.5868

Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 5:24 p.m.

Fallen law enforcement officers to be honored with permanent graveside marker

The Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Committee begins a new tradition this Memorial Day weekend when committee members and volunteers place a rose and a blue line flag on the graves of officers who served and died in the line of duty in Spokane County. Since 1886, there are 23 city, county, and state officers who died while serving their community. Nineteen of them are buried in Spokane County.

“It means so much to the families of these officers that we don’t ever forget them. The flags ensure that we remember these heroes who gave their all in service” says Sue Walker, Spokane Police Department Historian and memorial committee co-chair.

Walker’s research tells us the last time roses were collectively placed on the graves of local fallen officers was in the early 1900’s when Captain John Sullivan of the SPD saw to it. The rose memorial ended when Cpt. Sullivan was assassinated in 1911.

Sullivan’s grave at Greenwood Memorial Terrace is fittingly one that will be visited TOMORROW, Friday May 22 at approx. 3:00 pm. Committee members will visit 6 cemeteries to place roses and flags beginning with Waverly, then Cheney, Greenwood/Riverside, Fairmont, and ending at Holy Cross.

The memorial committee has worked diligently to collect each officer’s story, picture, badge and patch. Those pieces of history will now be displayed on the new permanent memorial flags. The Spokane Police Guild helped fund the project with a $3,000 donation along with donations from families and other law enforcement entities.

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