This is National Police Week, honoring those officers who have sacrificed their lives to protect others. Only two Franklin county Officers have died in the line of duty. Ottawa Police Department Captain, Robert Cowden, died of a heart attack while trying to help control riots in Garnett in 1963. The other officer to die in the line of duty was Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy, Samuel Smith, who was killed in a car wreck while responding to a call in 2010. Police Chief, Adam Weingartner, on Cowden and the risk officers take:
Established by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty, for the safety and protection of others. A Candlelight Vigil will be held tonight at 8:00 on the National Mall in Washington D. C..
