Lincoln Police and the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office held their annual Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony outside the Hall of Justice Tuesday afternoon. The names of the seven officers and four deputies who have died in the line of duty over the years were read.
Retiring Sheriff Terry Wagner delivered the keynote address during his final memorial ceremony. He is is retiring in early January after serving the county for 50 years. Before becoming sheriff in 1994 he worked as a dispatcher before becoming a deputy.
Wagner says it’s just as important as ever remember those who died in the line of duty. “And it’s a reminder that behind every badge is a person and behind every fallen officer is a family forever changed.”
Wagner took time to remember Deputy Craig Dodge, who was shot in-the-line of duty in 1987 following a domestic disturbance in Hickman. Wagner said that even in loss, their mission continues. “The calls for service still come in, the community still depends on us and we carry on, not because it’s easy but because it’s necessary.”
Click here for the names of the fallen LPD Officers. Click here for the names of the fallen LSO deputies.