DOVER, Del.- On the Delaware Law Enforcement Memorial where fallen officers are honored, the last name that went on the wall was Corporal Keith Heacook of the Delmar Police Department.Â
Many of the speakers honored his memory Wednesday as well as the other fallen officers that we have lost in the first state.
One by one the names of Delaware's law enforcement who are no longer with us were read. No one has been lost in the line of duty over the last year.
It is this roll call and the remembrance ceremony where Delawareans come together each year to console family members and recognize the achievements of heroes.  Â
"Your loved one belonged to a very select group of people who take the most solemn of oaths and pledge to place their lives in danger that protects us from harm," Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf said. "The names on that wall honor their pledge and they will never be forgotten."
Being in law enforcement is a challenge but also a duty especially for those on the front lines. Fraternal Order of Police President Jamie Leonard says what Delmar Police Corporal Keith Heacook endured is a prime example of sacrificing for the good of others.
"What it exemplifies is that constant risk that law enforcement officers face, you know whether it be small town America or whether it be big cities like New York or Wilmington or say if you're talking strictly Delaware," Leonard said. "The risk exists everywhere and that was completely demonstrative of that particular topic."
Those that are still with us have the responsibility of carrying on the legacy of our fallen heroes. Governor John Carney met in a closed door meeting with Dewey Beach Police Patrolman First Class John Kane who saved six people in a fire last month.
"That's fundamentally what this is all about right," Carney said. "These are men and women who rush into danger to save folks and put themselves and their own health and life at risk."
A thank you to those who we lost in the line of duty and to those who are still here suiting up day in and day out.