Engraved black granite stones have recently been installed at the new Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial to honor the lives of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and Saturday morning, the memorial at Brown Park will be dedicated in front of fellow officers, their families and members of the public.
The dedication ceremony for the memorial is set for 11 a.m. Saturday at the park, and this year, it serves as the county’s Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony, which typically takes place in front of the Logan County Courthouse.
Bellefontaine Police Chief Brandon K. Standley will serve as the featured speaker at the event hosted by the Fraternal Order of Police Hi Point Lodge 60.
Phase one of the Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial will be unveiled. The front of the memorial on the black granite includes the names of Logan County’s four law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty: George W. Rockwell, Logan County Sheriff’s Department, 1878; Frank J. Hossler, Ohio State Highway Patrol, 1956; Sherman Ricketts, West Liberty Police Department, 1962; and Murray Griffin, Belle Center Police Department, 1986.
The back of the memorial features the names of the top donors for the project at the center, along Saint Michael at the left, an archangel who is considered a spiritual warrior in the battle of good versus evil and is a champion of justice and a healer of the sick.
On the right side, the names of each of the law enforcement agencies serving in the county also are named: the Bellefontaine Police Department, DeGraff Police Department, Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Russells Point Police Department, Washington Township Police Department and West Liberty Police Department.
Bellefontaine Police Department Sgt. Allen Shields, who has helped to lead the project with the FOP Lodge 60, said many generous donors have contributed toward this community effort, including approximately $38,000 raised through cash donations and toward Thin Blue Line merchandise offered by the group, plus additional in-kind donations from area businesses.
For phase one, Sgt. Shields said Alexander Concrete recently donated their services to install the concrete pad as the foundation for the memorial. In addition, Ohio Ready Mix donated the concrete for the foundation.
The Logan County Commissioners donated the three flag poles to be lighted at the site from the former Carnegie building, and the City of Bellefontaine has offered recent assistance in installing related lighting and electrical work.
This summer, landscaping work and other beautification efforts are planned at the memorial.
The FOP continues to fundraise for the second phase, which includes installing a life-sized bronze statue of a law enforcement officer kneeling and holding a folded American flag for a family of a fallen officer.
Donations toward the project may be mailed to: Fraternal Order of Police, Hi-Point Lodge 60, P.O. Box 277, Bellefontaine, OH, 43311, or dropped off at the Bellefontaine Police Department, 135 N. Detroit St., or call Sgt. Shields at the police department, (937) 599-1010
Donors should specify that their donations are for the Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial. The lodge is a 501c3 organization.
The newly installed Logan County Law Enforcement Memorial at Brown Park will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Saturday. (EXAMINER PHOTO | MANDY LOEHR)
