The Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office honored their own Tuesday and took a moment to remember those killed in the line of duty.

At an annual memorial service, Sheriff Aaron Kennard laid a wreath at a monument outside the Sheriff's Office Building — a wreath inscribed with the names of 10 deputies, one chief and two civilian crossing guards killed in the line of duty since 1853.

Meanwhile, Salt Lake City police officers stood at attention for a 21-gun salute during their own fallen officers memorial service.

In 1858, William Cooke was the first Salt Lake City police officer to die while serving the city. The most recent death was that of James Cawley, a SWAT officer, who was killed in March 2003 while serving in Iraq on leave from the department.

Their names appear with 21 others on a memorial obelisk in the courtyard of the police department's Pioneer Precinct Building, 1040 W. 700 South, where Tuesday's service was held.

May 9-15 is National Police Week, when departments across the country recognize officers who have died in the line of duty.

Sheriff's deputy Reed Kartchner said the community has "an unending debt of gratitude and reverence" for those deputies who have "paid the highest price."

Kennard also took time to praise the job that his current deputies are doing.

"I marvel at how you all operate," he said while noting that "people take shots at us literally and figuratively" on almost a daily basis.

The last sheriff's deputy killed in the line of duty was Michael S. Welcker in 1994. Kennard said, unfortunately, an officer has fallen once every five years since he became sheriff and he hopes the law of averages doesn't catch up with him now.

Several spouses, parents and grandchildren of fallen deputies attended Tuesday's ceremony, which included a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.

Five sheriff's officers were killed within eight days of each other in November 1913, including Chief J.W. "Billy" Grant.

The police department's service included speeches by Chief Rick Dinse, Mayor Rocky Anderson, City Council vice-chairman Dale Lambert and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff. Officers and family members of the fallen officers placed red carnations on a shield of yellow daisies in honor of each fallen officer.

The sheriff's office held an annual awards banquet after its memorial service. Deputy Brett Miller received both the the Purple Heart and the Deputy Sheriff of the Year awards.

"It feels good," Miller said of receiving the honors.

Miller was responding to a domestic violence call about 4:15 a.m. Jan. 19 when he spotted an alleged suspect's vehicle near 4500 South and 1300 West. Just as Miller approached the man's vehicle, he saw him raise a shotgun.

Miller said he started to reach for his gun and seek cover just as the man fired. His bulletproof vest absorbed most of the impact. But one pellet hit near his left eyebrow, another hit the back of his head, and a third penetrated the back of his left hand and lodged in his palm, where it remains today. Miller still has scars on his head where the pellets hit.

A lot went through Miller's mind in those few seconds. He said he thought about his family, about his wife whom he had just learned was pregnant with their second daughter, and about making it home.

"You think about what's important," he said.

Miller was able to return fire and hit the man inside the car. Backup deputies arrived shortly after and took both men to the hospital. The shooter suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.

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Miller said the incident didn't deter him from going back to work.

"It's a lifestyle. I love being a police officer," he said. "You always know you could be hit or killed (but) you learn to cope with it."


Contributing: Jennifer Dobner

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com

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