LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office honored deputies who died in the line of duty in observance of National Peace Officer Memorial Day on Friday.
Since the department’s inception in 1891, four deputies have died in the line of duty, according to Tracie Manthei with the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office.
“They were Deputy Bernie Forrester, Deputy Rudy Gonzalez, Corporal Robert Martine Harvey and Sergeant Joshua Bartlett,” Manthei said.
The deputies everlasting impact on the community
The men were honored for their service and impact on the city.
“I think their legacy is the willingness to step up when nobody else will, and face challenges that are very difficult and put their lives on the line for others,” Manthei said.
Importance of remembering
Law enforcement officers across the country lose their lives in the line of duty every day, Manthei said. She said it is important to remember the men and women who served to protect communities, even if you never knew them personally.
“They fall even more often than some of our military men and women, and for very similar reasons, they are trying to protect their community, they are trying to make the places they live a better place, and I think it’s important that locally we remember the sacrifice of people that were here,” Manthei said.
While National Police Week is coming to an end, Manthei said the memory and sacrifice of fallen law enforcement officers will continue to live on beyond this week’s ceremonies and tributes.
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