Police honor fallen officers
By JOE GORMAN
jgorman@vindy.com
YOUNGSTOWN
Dave Leo was OK until the bagpipes.
Leo, the father of slain Girard police officer Justin Leo, said Friday following the annual Fallen Officers Memorial at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church that it is good to reconnect with the family of other slain officers, such as the family of former Youngstown police Officer Michael Hartzell, who was shot and killed while on duty in 2003.
However, Leo said once the members of the Cleveland Police Pipe and Drum Corps began playing, the tears began to flow.
“As soon as the bagpipes start, as soon as the taps start, that’s a lot of memories,” he said with a broken voice in the warm spring sunshine outside the church.
Leo’s son, Justin, 31, was killed while answering a call Oct. 21, 2017.
The memorial is hosted by the Fraternal Order of Police lodges for the Youngstown Police Department and Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office. It honors 27 officers who have died in the line of duty since 1891, with 14 of those officers members of the Youngstown Police Department.
Leo is the only Trumbull County officer on the list.
Several departments in Mahoning County attended.
State Sen. Michaeil Rulli of Salem, R-33rd, said that police officers help protect the core of American ideals, which he said is freedom.
“They are the people who give their lives to defend freedom,” Rulli said of the officers that were being honored Friday.
Rulli also said he believes the men and women who serve in law enforcement do so because there is a calling in their life to do so.
Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, who presented a proclamation from city council, also said that law enforcement work is a calling.
“I believe God has appointed you to this position,” Brown said. “It’s a gift.”
Each officer was remembered by having their name read and a rose placed on a memorial wreath. When Justin Leo’s name was read, Dave Leo arose from his seat, teary-eyed, and was escorted to the wreath by a Mahoning County Sheriff’s deputy, where he placed a rose.
Mahoning County Commissioners Anthony Traficanti and Carol Rimedio-Righetti also presented a proclamation from the board. The Youngstown Police Honor Guard also participated in the ceremony.