Monday was National Peace Officer Memorial Day.
Numerous Manitowoc County residents and law enforcement personnel gathered yesterday afternoon between the Manitowoc County Courthouse and the jail to honor the peace officers who have passed away in the line of duty.
Detective Peter McGinty played the bagpipes while the Vietnam Veterans of America fired their weapons in remembrance.
Manitowoc County has seen a total of seven officers die in the line of duty, the first of which was Keil Police Marshal Edmond E. Hanske who passed away in 1914.
Also giving the ultimate sacrifice were Two Rivers Police Officers Leo Rocque and Thomas R. Dodge, Manitowoc County Deputy David C. Hibbard, and Manitowoc Patrolmen Fred Mueller, Lawrence Harold Metsker, and Dale Robin TenHaken.
Manitowoc Police Chief Nick Reimer was close friends with Officer TenHaken, and he makes sure his officers remember the risks they face every day they go on patrol.
“Since then we have hung up some memorials at the Police Department right outside of our briefing area,” he told Seehafer News. “Every officer, before they start their shift, sees those pictures and the story of what happened.”
Also on hand was Mishicot Police Chief Paul Granger who spoke about the impact of the day with four officers in Wisconsin dying already this year.
“On days like today, you really take that time to reflect, and feel the loss that those officers have given,” he said. “Not just them, but their families and their loved ones.”
The Clipper City Chordsmen also filled the air with their impeccable sound, as the numerous citizens and officers alike remembered the local men who died for our safety, but also Milwaukee Police Officer Peter Jerving, Chetek Police Officer Emily Breidenbach, Cameron Police Officer Hunter Scheel, and St. Croix County Deputy Katie Leising.
