By Abby Cambiano

Northeast News

May 19, 2017

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The Kansas City Police Department honored its 119 officers killed in the line of duty throughout the department’s history on Thursday, May 18 with a memorial service in front of KCPD Headquarters.

During the service, Locust St. was closed between 11th and 12th streets. The KCPD Color Guard presented the flags as the honor guard stood at attention. Patty Robinson, sister of fallen KCPD Sgt. James Leach who was killed on May 2, 1992, spoke about her family’s loss.

“In 1990 he helped develop the bicycle patrol for Westport merchants while in charge of security there,” Robinson said. “It was while working in that capacity that (Leach) became the victim of an intentional murder.”

Leach’s killer is now serving two concurrent life sentences.

Retired Sergeant Randal Sims, Leach’s close friend, also spoke. Sims said if it had not been for a last minute reassignment, he would have been by Leach’s side the night he was killed.

“Now more than ever it is imperative that you watch each other’s back,” Sims said to the officers standing at attention as he reflected on Leach’s death.

Interim Police Chief David Zimmerman also spoke on the dangerous nature of the job.

“It seems that every day we hear on the news about the passing of another law enforcement member though accident or the deliberate act of another,: said Zimmerman. “Nevertheless, in the face of each heartbreak we still don the uniform, go to work to help those who need us the most, and choose to run toward danger, rather than away.”

Major Donna Greenwell read the names of all 119 fallen KCPD officers. The first officer was killed in the line of duty in 1881, and the last in 2001. There were 119 flags on display at the ceremony to represent each officer killed.

The ceremony, which was open to the public, concluded with a 21-gun salute and a police helicopter flown overhead as a riderless horse was led to represent the fallen officers. For 119 hours preceding the memorial, one name of a fallen officer was read over the police radio system each hour. The last officer’s name, Craig Schultz, was read immediately before the ceremony began.