IN REMEMBRANCE: POLICE MEMORIAL CEREMONY HONORS FALLEN OFFICERS

They were there to remember James Froemsdorf. And Timothy Ruopp. And many others. They were there to pay tribute to their own, those in the law enforcement community who died in the line of duty.

Friday, in the shadow of the flagpole at the entrance of Cape County Park North, officers from around the area lined up with white roses to honor and respect their fallen peers.

They were in single file, placing a rose for each name read aloud by Sgt. Robert Bosse at the base of a peace officer's monument on the grounds of the park.

Sponsored by the Triad/ SALT program, the observance marked Law Enforcement Memorial Day. Triad/SALT links the elderly with law enforcement.

Bosse, a sergeant with the Southeast Missouri State University department of public safety and president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 33, headed the ceremony.

"We went to the national archives and looked up all the officers that were killed in the line of duty," Bosse said. "If that person lived within our community, or lived in the community and then moved somewhere else and died, we thought it would be appropriate to put those names on the monument."

The last two officers that died in the line of duty in Cape were Herbert Goss and Don Crittendon on March 21, 1961.

According to associate professor of criminal justice Dr. William Bourns, officers need to be as cautious as ever because of the increase in violence statewide and nationwide.

"Crime is decreasing, but violence is spiking," Bourns said at Friday's ceremony.

"It's the one-on-one confrontations," Bourns said. "The car stops and things like that are the most dangerous. The old cowboy and Indian days of fighting it out with a six-gun are disappearing. The people who are in the cars that are stopped, and are hiding something back there, and it's usually high narcotics or drugs. All the drug people now are armed, with large firearms."

Pastor Samuel Roethemeyer of the Emanuel United Church of Christ, spoke before the ceremony reflecting on the officers who gave their lives, understands just how dangerous the line of duty can get.

"I've got about six law enforcement officers in my congregation," Roethemeyer said, "and I got to ride with one of them for about six hours one night and I truly experienced and understand what they have to go through. Basically, when they get out of the car, they never know if they are going to get back in or if they're going to make it back home.

"I remember watching the officer I was with very carefully, going up to a car, and he didn't know whether it was going to take off, or who was in it, or what was in it, and every time he got out of that car, I felt as though he was putting his life on the line for me and for the citizens of our community. I've offered a challenge for all the officers today, a biblical reference from Joshua, saying that they need the courage and strength to carry on the task for those who have been slain."

Even with the rising violence and the uncertainty of the beat, Cape Police Captain Stephen Strong says that since the 1960s, technology and technique have provided for safer confrontations.

"We're very happy that we haven't had any situations since the 1960s," Strong said. "A lot of things have changed since then, and training is one of them. We've also got vests now, for instance."

After the ceremony, Bosse thanked everyone for coming, and reflected on how so much is learned from line-of-duty-deaths.

"The sad part is that when an officer gets killed, we learn from that death," Bosse said. "We now have better equipment, better training; it used to be a fact that something like half of all officers were killed with their own weapons. That has drastically decreased. Awareness means analyzing how the officers get killed and learning from those situations."