Nevada law officers honor their own fallen in memorial service at state capitol
The 17th annual Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Ceremony was held at the capitol building grounds Thursday in Carson City. The service honored the 126 Nevada peace officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
In 1998 the memorial was dedicated on the capitol grounds in Carson City to recognize the ultimate sacrifice the officers made in service to their communities. Officers from around Nevada participated in a relay with 126 stops that began April 24 in Las Vegas and ended in Carson City in time for Thursday's ceremony.
Attending was Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval who spoke of bravery and sacrifice among not only those officers who lost their lives in the line of duty but all peace officers.
The first officer killed in the line of duty was Carson County Nevada Territory Sheriff John L. Blackburn who was killed in 1861 while making an arrest. The last officer killed in the line of duty was Officer David Vanbuskirk of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department who died of injuries sustained while conducting a search and rescue mission on Mt. Charleston in Southern Nevada in August of 2013.
This year, three officers were honored at the memorial service. They are:
Officer David Vanbuskirk of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police who fell to his death from a helicopter July 23, 2013 while participating in a search and rescue mission for a stranded hiker on Mt. Charleston in Clark County. He fell while being hoisted into the helicopter.
Watchman John Montague of the Southern Pacific Railroad Police was on patrol at the rail yards in Reno when he was struck from behind by a switch engine. He was transported to the hospital and died Jan. 5, 1905.
Watchman Jose Sancebo, also of the Southern Pacific Railroad Police, was patrolling the rail road yards in Palisades when he was attacked and shot four times. He was transported to the hospital but died several hours later on Aug. 11, 1937.
- Brian Sandoval
- Carson City
- April
- Capitol
- Capitol Grounds
- carson
- Ceremony
- City
- county
- Death
- died
- helicopter
- Hours
- July
- lost
- Memorial
- mission
- Nevada
- News
- officers
- peace
- peace officers
- police
- police department
- railroad
- Rescue
- Search
- service
- state
- state Capitol
- struck
- Las Vegas
- law enforcement
- reno
- sheriff