Boone County’s previous event held around National Police Week was called Boone County Law Enforcement Memorial and Appreciation.
“(The title) was too long and the way I looked at it, I said we are not trying to solicit appreciation,” Boone County Sheriff’s Deputy Wesley Garst said. “We want to let it be given if people deem it necessary. At the same time, we want to give appreciation back to the community for the things they do for us as well as what we do for them.”
The event, now called Boone County Unified, is set from 5:30 to 8 p.m. May 10 at the Boone Country Courthouse in Lebanon.
“It’s the unification of all the agencies coming together but also to include the public,” Garst said. “The way we look at it, without the public’s assistance, we couldn’t do what we do.”
The event begins with a meet-and-greet hosted by the Boone County Sheriff’s Office. It will include all law enforcement agencies in the county, including state agencies such as the Indiana State Police, Indiana Fire Marshals and Indiana Conservation Officers. Eleven agencies will be represented. The event is held ahead of National Police Week, which runs May 15 to May 21.
There will be free food and soft drinks or water in the first hour on the east side of the courthouse. After the first hour, there will be a transition to north side of the courthouse.
“We’ll do a ceremony/memorial, starting out with appreciation of officers still on the job,” Garst said.
There will be a memorial for five officers from Boone County or assigned to the county from other law enforcement agencies who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The latest was Boone County Deputy Jacob Pickett, who was killed when he was shot during a police chase in March 2018.
Others include State Police representative, Master Trooper Michael Greene, 1993; State Police Trooper Richard Brown, 1967; Boone County Sheriff John Peper,1935; and State Police Sgt. John Miller, 1955.
