MANSFIELD — A memorial ceremony Monday morning to honor four fallen Mansfield Police officers, kicked off Police Week on May 15.
A crowd gathered at 9 a.m. as officers filed into a second-floor room of the police department, stopping to face a memorial wall with four framed photos of officers who died in the line of duty.
Three floral wreaths were placed alongside the wall, each with a ribbon reading “Fallen, but not forgotten.”
“We do this every year because it’s just out of respect for the ultimate sacrifice that we as police don’t think we will have to give, but are ready to give in a moment,” said Lt. Robert Skropits
Two officers stand beside the wall until 4 p.m. when the building closes. The guard changes every 15 minutes.
The last Mansfield police officer to lose his life in the line of duty was Brian D. Evans on Dec. 26, 2007. Evans, who had been with the Mansfield Police Department for more than 14 years, was shot and killed by his brother as he provided medical assistance to a man who his brother previously shot.
“We started the honor guard shortly after Evans was killed in the line of duty,” Skropits said.
The other officers recognized are Michael R. Hutchinson, who died in 1976, William J. Taylor, who died in 1949, and John Englehart, who died in 1893.
“We like to recognize them,” Skropits said. “It’s the least we can do to come out here today, show our respect and stand guard next to the wall here.”
Two officers visited Washington D.C. to participate in national Police Week events.
