Ceremony Honors Local Law Enforcement Officers

  • By Karen Skubik
  • May 6, 2013
  • 322
                        
Wooster Police Department Chief Matthew Fisher noted that there is “no such thing as a normal 8-hour work day for law enforcement and their family”. This was evident when a uniformed and civilian crowd gathered in front of the Wayne County Justice Center on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Fisher and other speakers helped those in attendance for the annual Wayne County Law Enforcement Officers Memorial remember the five local officers whose names are inscribed on the memorial wall in addition to recognizing the men and women who continue to protect and serve our county. “Holidays and birthdays are just days you (officers) must be prepared to work………called to help those in need”, explained Fisher. The names of the five officers who made the ultimate sacrifice helping their community was read by Captain Scott Rotolo from the Wooster Police Department. They included Ptl. Ralph W. Henderson (1912), Sheriff Deputy Clifford H. Mohler (1968), Ptl. Robert C. Goodrich (1969), Sgt. Paul H. Kinisley (1969), and Sgt. Harol K. Hanning (1970). Despite efforts to adjust to the changes in law enforcement over the years including weaponry and tactics, we still experience casualties, explained Sheriff Travis Hutchinson. But he went on to point out that “what has not changed is the courage the men and women exhibit”. State Senator Frank LaRose who was born and raised in northeast Ohio, attended Copley High School, served 10 years in the United States Army, and is a graduate of The Ohio State University served as the keynote speaker. The representative from the 27th Ohio District asked, “What is so precious that it is worth laying your life down?” Most of us want to know that our life had meaning, but there is a special group that takes that one step further, knowing that some things are worth dying for. The five officers whose names are etched on the wall “laid down their lives for their friends, us, their community.” The ceremony was organized by the Wayne County Order of Police Lodge #94 and through speeches, prayers, symbolic rituals, songs, and sharing the community honored not only those who gave their lives in the line of duty, but those who currently serve every day to make Wayne County a safer place.


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