NEWS RELEASE: May 6, 2008
FROM: The Kansas Highway Patrol
CONTACT: TechTRP Edna Buttler (785)296-6800
Blue Ribbons to Honor Fallen Law Enforcement Officers
The Kansas Highway Patrol is joining Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS) to observe National Police Week from May 11 to May 17, as well as National Peace Officers' Memorial Day on May 15. COPS is a national non-profit organization for families of officers who died in the line of duty. The Patrol is tying blue ribbons to agency-owned vehicles during this special observance to honor fallen officers and their families.
Patrol Superintendent Colonel Terry Maple said, "National Police Week is a time to remember and celebrate the lives of fallen officers. When officers tie blue ribbons to our vehicles, we are reminded of the support we give each other and of our convictions to serve the public honorably. When civilians tie the ribbons to their vehicles, officers feel their sincere appreciation and support."
A limited supply of official COPS ribbons will be available at many Kansas law enforcement agencies, including your local Kansas Highway Patrol troop headquarters. If the official COPS ribbons are not available, any 18-inch strip of royal blue ribbon will show your support.
In 2007, 181 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the United States, according to COPS and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Kansas sadly lost two officers in the line of duty in 2006. The state has lost one officer in 2007.
In addition to participating in the blue ribbon campaign, the public is encouraged to attend the 26th Annual Kansas Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Service at 12:00 noon on Friday, May 9. The ceremony will begin in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building, and will conclude at the Kansas Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol Grounds. In addition, there will be a Candlelight Vigil at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at the memorial, which is located on the northeast corner of the Capitol Grounds, near SW 8th and Jackson Streets.
The memorial service will honor individuals who died while protecting Kansans. This year, the name of Macksville Police Officer Robert Timothy "Tim" Buckman will be added to the list of 258 names of officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since the time of Kansas statehood. Officer Buckman died as a result of his courageous effort to warn residents of approaching tornadoes that occurred on May 4, 2007. His patrol vehicle was caught by a massive tornado and flung several hundred yards from the roadway on which he was traveling.
KHP "Roll of Honor"
- Trooper Maurice R. Plummer was the first member of the Patrol to be killed in the line of duty. Trooper Plummer was fatally injured in an automobile crash while patrolling US-40 about five miles west of Russell on Dec. 16, 1944.
- Trooper Jimmie D. Jacobswas fatally injured in an automobile crash Oct. 8, 1959, on US-54 east of El Dorado. Trooper Jacobs was on an emergency run transporting blood for an immediate surgery in Eureka when he collided with a grain truck that turned in front of his patrol car.
- Trooper John B. McMurray was fatally injured in an automobile crash Dec. 6, 1964, on K-18 west of Manhattan. Trooper McMurray was stowing a camera in the trunk of his patrol car, which was parked on the shoulder of the highway, when an intoxicated driver struck him. He died as a result of his injuries on Dec. 9, 1964.
- Lieutenant Bernard C. Hill suffered fatal injuries as the result of an automobile crash May 28, 1967, on the Kansas Turnpike near Andover. A driver hydroplaned during a severe thunderstorm and lost control of his car and a car it was towing. The cars crossed the median of the turnpike and struck Lieutenant Hill’s patrol car head-on.
- Sergeant Eldon K. Miller was shot and fatally injured on Jan. 19, 1968, while taking part in a manhunt for bank robbery suspects in Overland Park. Sergeant Miller, the first Patrol member to be killed by gunfire, was fatally shot while moving a patrol car to protect officers who were pinned down by gunfire.
- Trooper James D. Thornton was shot and fatally injured on Oct. 2, 1973, while checking a hitchhiker on Interstate 70 at the east edge of Topeka. The man, wanted for the murder of his father in New York, was later shot and killed by other officers when he refused to surrender.
- Trooper Conroy G. O'Brien was shot and fatally injured on May 24, 1978, after stopping a car for a traffic violation on the Kansas Turnpike near Matfield Green. Three suspects were apprehended after a vehicle chase, gun battle and massive manhunt south of Herington.
- Trooper Ferdinand F. "Bud" Pribbenow was shot and fatally injured on July 7, 1981, after stopping a man for driving 98 miles per hour on the Kansas Turnpike near El Dorado. The suspect was wounded and apprehended after a short pursuit and gun battle with officers near the Kellogg Turnpike interchange in east Wichita.
- >Master Trooper Larry L. Huff was injured in an automobile crash on Nov. 3, 1993. He was patrolling US-81 south of Concordia when his vehicle was struck broadside by a semi-truck as he was attempting to turn around in pursuit of a traffic violator. He died as a result of his injuries on Nov. 26, 1993.
- Master Trooper Dean A. Goodheart was fatally injured in an automobile crash at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 6, 1995, on Interstate 70 near Oakley. As a member of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, Goodheart was performing a routine truck safety inspection when a passing car struck him.