By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Law enforcement officials from throughout the region were joined by elected officials and everyday citizens in the rededication of the Northern Kentucky Police Memorial at noon Tuesday.
Bellevue Police Chief Wayne Turner said the memorial represents more than just granite and stone.
“Those name all represent families and officers that we know and love and worked with,” Turner said. “So it was important for us to re-establish memorial.”
To date, no one has been charged in the incident.
The memorial was damaged overnight on July 15 during the Major League All-Star Game festivities and was discovered the following morning. It is believed that a group of people captured leaving the scene by surveillance footage vandalized the memorial.
The site is dedicated to the men and women of the Northern Kentucky region that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their communities. The Northern Kentucky Police Memorial has been described as a fitting tribute to those men and women.
Turner said the memorial could not have been replaced so quickly without a generous donation from Performance Lexus of Covington, which offered to pay the entire cost of the restoration within days of the incident.
Another anonymous donor also contributed to the restoration, which exceeded $3,000.
In a stirring tribute, Kenton County Sheriff Charles L. “Chuck” Korzenborn played “Taps,” while all of the officers present stood at attention and saluted.
Kenton County Police Chief Michael “Spike” Jones said it was a great day for the entire Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky community.
“It’s one of those life lessons that it’s not how you get knocked down, it’s how you get back up,” Jones said. “In this instance the community came together for all of us. In spite of all of the negative attention we have received from a very small group of folks, the greater majority of this community supports law enforcement.”
Jones retired as Covington police chief just a few weeks before the incident to take the position in Kenton County.
Each year the Northern Kentucky Police Chiefs Association hold a memorial service in May to honor the fallen.
Anyone with information about the incident that led to the damage of the memorial is asked to contact the Covington Police Department at 859.356.3191.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com