HUTCHINSON, Kan. – There was a pretty good turn-out for the Peace Officers Memorial Day event here in Hutchinson Friday morning. It was held in front of the Law Enforcement Center and the guest speaker was Colonel Ernest Garcia who heads the Kansas Highway Patrol.
We spoke with him after the ceremony and he talked about being the head of a large organization of law enforcement across the state and says most of all the thousand troopers and civilian personnel who work under him are public servants. He says they get lots of opportunities to help people.
The ceremony Friday morning started with Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson giving the opening statements followed by the invocation given by Pastor Willard Stafford, then Garcia spoke. After that, they recognized fallen officers locally and across the state.
Then a bit of a surprise, the widow of slain Hutchinson Police Officer Kenneth Kennedy spoke to the crowd about her thoughts on law enforcement.
Officer Kennedy was shot and killed by the female friend of a suspect he was struggling with. He and a reserve officer had made an undercover purchase of alcoholic beverages in a bootlegging and gambling operation. He was only 23 when he died.
The Sheriff’s Department honor guard raised the flag while detective Chris Massingill played taps.