I was in Richmond today for a ceremony at the Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial.
The names of 26 Kentucky officers killed in the line of duty between 1882 and 1969 were added to the monument, which now has 461 names.
It was a day of bittersweet emotions.
In addition to the adding of the names, we were celebrating the fact that Kentucky experienced no line-of-duty deaths in 2009, the first time in recent history that has happened. In fact, some two years passed without a death.
That’s a tremendous accomplishment, and a testament to the quality of our officers and their professionalism and training.
Unfortunately, that streak ended in a tragic way on April 29, when Lexington Police Officer Bryan Durman was killed in a hit-and-run incident.
I am in awe of men and women like Officer Durman, who go to work each day knowing they could be placing themselves in terrible danger just to keep us safe.
I was in Northern Kentucky last week for the annual ceremony at that region’s monument, which contains the names of 35 Northern Kentucky officers.
On behalf of state government and citizens across the Commonwealth, I want to say “thank you” to the men and women who show just dedication and courage to keep us safe.