NEWS

Local law enforcement honors slain Texas deputy

Andrea Fisher-Nitschke

A line of patrol vehicles assembled at the Great Falls and Cascade County Law Enforcement Memorial at Flag Hill Friday morning.

They activated their lights at 10 a.m. to participate in a tribute to a deputy killed while fueling his patrol car in Texas on Aug. 28.

The funeral for Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Goforth started at 11 a.m. in Houston. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for a minute of silence accompanied by red and blue police lights as it began. The Great Falls Police Department and Cascade County Sheriff’s Office sent 17 patrol vehicles to the memorial to participate in the tribute.

“We’re all brothers,” GFPD Sgt. Jim Wells said of the department’s willingness to take time out of the day to honor a fallen officer.

A line of Great Falls Police officers and Cascade County Sheriff’s deputies parked near the Law Enforcement Memorial on Flag Hill activated their lights as a tribute to Texas Deputy Darren Goforth, who was killed while fueling his patrol car on Aug. 28.

He explained the department is following the same protocols to keep officers safe — vigilance and training.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, eight law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in the United States since Aug. 20.

“It’s probably more difficult on families and kids because it’s a reminder that dad or mom may not come home,” Wells added of the recent string of duty deaths across the country.

The GFPD will recognize the 21st anniversary of Officer Shane Chadwick’s death on Sept. 7. Chadwick was shot and killed in the alley between the Leland building and City Bar.

The CCSO marked the one-year anniversary of Deputy Joe Dunn’s death on Aug. 14.

Cascade County patrol vehicles cap off a line of 17 law enforcement vehicles participating in a Friday morning tribute to Texas Deputy Darren Goforth, who was killed while fueling his patrol car on Aug. 28.