MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Local law enforcement agencies will gather Friday to honor officers who gave their lives in the line of duty as part of National Police Week observances.
The annual memorial ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 15, in front of the Reno County Law Enforcement Center. The event coincides with Peace Officers Memorial Day, established in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation designating May 15 as a day to honor fallen law enforcement officers and the week in which it falls as National Police Week.
The ceremony will recognize officers from Hutchinson and Reno County who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their communities.
Among those remembered will be Hutchinson Police Officer Reason Sherman Monroe, who was fatally shot in 1924.
According to historical accounts, Officer Monroe responded to Brubaker Grocery Store at 123 S. Adams on July 2, 1924, in search of a suspect accused of pistol-whipping his wife. During the confrontation, the suspect picked up his 4-year-old son and used the child as a shield while firing at Monroe. Fearing he would strike the child, Monroe did not return fire and was shot multiple times. He later died from his injuries on July 3, 1924, at Grace Methodist Hospital.
The ceremony will also honor Officer Kenneth Kennedy, who was killed Sept. 15, 1972, during an undercover operation involving illegal liquor sales.
Kennedy and Reserve Officer Michael Coldren had gone to a residence at 918 S. Plum in plain clothes when a struggle broke out while attempting to arrest a suspect. Authorities said a woman emerged from the kitchen and shot both officers. Kennedy returned fire, wounding the suspect, but later died at the scene. Coldren survived after regaining consciousness and summoning help. A section of K-61 through Hutchinson was later named in Kennedy’s honor.
Reno County Deputy Sheriff Thomas Fowler, who was killed in 1910, will also be remembered. Fowler had arrested a burglary suspect in Hutchinson and was transporting him to jail when the suspect attempted to bribe him. After Fowler refused, the suspect produced a pistol and shot him. The suspect was later captured in Ottawa, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
The memorial will additionally recognize Reno County Undersheriff Edward Metz, who died Jan. 7, 1901. Metz was reportedly boarding a Missouri Pacific passenger train to travel to Wellington to testify in a horse theft case when he was run over and killed. Historical reports noted evidence of a possible struggle, though it was never determined whether his death was accidental or the result of foul play.
Friday’s ceremony is open to the public. Organizers say the event serves as both a remembrance of fallen officers and a tribute to the sacrifices made by law enforcement officers and their families.