The Ottawa City Commission recognized National Police Week at a Study Session recently. The week was established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy to pay tribute to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. Only two Franklin County officers have died in the line of duty. Ottawa Police Chief Adam Weingartner on one officer:
Captain Cowdin was responding for a call for help from the Garnett Police Department to deal with crowd control after a large riot broke out during the Garnett Grand Prix. He collapsed on the south side of Courthouse Square while firing tear gas into the crowd, as the mob attempted to storm the county jail.
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.
There will be a candlelight vigil in Washington D.C. tomorrow night to honor the 226 officers lost in the line of duty in 2022.
