Fallen Westmoreland County law enforcement remembered at service

The lives of 28 law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice were commemorated Thursday during Westmoreland County’s second annual law enforcement memorial service.

For Rosemarie Reed, the ceremony signifies that the community remembers officers lost in the line of duty.

“It means a lot to me that they’re not forgotten,” she said.

Reed, of Hollsopple, returned to the ceremony for the second year in remembrance of her husband, St. Clair Township police Officer Lloyd Reed Jr., 54, who was fatally shot while responding to a domestic violence call Nov. 28, 2015, in New Florence.

“It was hard the first year, but this year was not as bad because it’s nice to be around people who have gone through this,” Reed said.

She remembered with a warm smile that the couple first met when Lloyd Reed Jr. pulled her over for rolling through a stop sign.

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli and her office initiated the memorial service last year, aiming to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the county since 1903.

“We can never repay our debt to these officers and their families, but we owe them the deepest appreciation for their selfless sacrifice to protect us all,” Ziccarelli said.

The ceremony not only honors the law enforcement “heroes” but also their families, she said.

Norwin High School’s Bel Canto Treble Choir performed during the service, and sophomore Maura Henaghan was particularly moved because of her family’s close connection with law enforcement. Her grandfather was a police chief.

“It was cool today because we got to see firsthand how much everyone cares and honors these people,” she said.

As North Huntingdon police Chief Robert Rizzo spoke about the importance of law enforcement and the previous police chief’s influence, Henaghan texted her dad and the two realized Rizzo was referencing her grandfather.

“It was really special for me,” Henaghan said.

The names of the 28 officers were read as their surviving parents, spouses and children walked across the pavilion stage in Greensburg’s Saint Clair Park and dropped white carnations into a basket in memory of their loved ones.

After the names were read, Trooper Douglas Arndt of the Pennsylvania State Police Ceremonial Unit played taps, state police Aviation Unit 5 — Latrobe completed a helicopter flyover, and Jeff Susa played the bagpipes.

The ceremony coincides with National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 62 chaplain Robert Stauffer emphasized the heroics of law enforcement officers.

“They have shown us the path of righteousness, integrity and deep love for the people of Westmoreland County,” he said.