WATCH: Cleveland police honor fallen in badge ceremony
CLEVELAND (WJW) — The Greater Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial Society commemorated Police Memorial Week with a badge ceremony.
The Thursday ceremony at Cleveland Division of Police headquarters along Ontario Street gave tribute to local police officers who died in the line of duty.
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Among them were Cleveland officers Victor Claudio, who died Jan. 1 of natural causes while on duty at the division’s Fifth District headquarters, and Bill Shapiro, who was killed by a sniper on April 26, 1974.
“They are gone but not forgotten,” said Police Chief Dorothy Todd. “May we carry the memory of our fallen officers in our hearts as we continue the noble work they began.”
Shapiro’s family members placed a wreath during the ceremony.
Speakers also recognized the death of Euclid police officer Jacob Derbin, killed in an ambush on Saturday, May 11, while responding to a disturbance at a local home.
He had been on the job less than a year and was set to be married in July, said U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott, the ceremony’s guest speaker.
“We have seen the violence against our profession continue over the years,” Elliott said. “From New York City, to Los Angeles, to Charlotte, to Euclid — small cities, large cities — nowhere is immune. Our officers continue to protect and serve and are always willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
Remembering officers killed in line of duty in NE Ohio
Police Memorial Week “recognizes all law enforcement officers for their dedicated service, and honors those who died in the line of duty serving their communities,” reads a flyer. It continues through Sunday, May 19. For more information, visit the society’s website.
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