Area law enforcement officers honored their dead Friday at a ceremony in front of the Grand Forks County Courthouse.
Christopher Dewey, a Mahnomen (Minn.) County deputy sheriff, was recognized as the most recent death on duty. He died Aug. 9, 2010, succumbing to gunshot wounds sustained 18 months earlier. On Feb. 18, 2009, Dewey had responded to reports of a drunk driver, and a suspect shot him twice during a confrontation.
"Before Chris passed away, I knew him as a gentle giant," Deputy Benjamin Bruce of the Mahnomen County Sheriff's Department said at Friday's ceremony. "Today, I know Chris Dewey as a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice without thinking twice about it."
Officer deaths are tallying up at a faster pace in 2011. Last year, Dewey was one of 158 officers killed. This year, 69 officers already have been killed, an increase of 11 percent. The latest deaths were two U.S. Border Patrol agents killed Thursday in Arizona.
As keynote speaker, North Dakota Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley shared his own family's experience of loss.
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"Twenty years ago last February, Police Officer Danny Boyle was 21 years old, an 11-month rookie of the police department of Philadelphia. He was on solo patrol and was gunned down in the line of duty," Wrigley said. "...He left behind his father, Police Detective Pat Boyle, and his mother, nurse Nancy Boyle. He also left behind his only sibling, Kathleen - my wife."
Enduring windy conditions and intermittent rain, about 40 people watched the event Friday, part of National Peace Officers Memorial Week.
Gulya covers education. Reach her at (701) 780-1118; (800) 477-6572, ext. 118; or send e-mail to lgulya@gfherald.com .
