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Tag Archives: Line of Duty

He Should Have Come Home: Remembering Officer Matthew Rittner

Officer Matthew John Rittner of the Milwaukee Police Department, End of Watch February 6, 2019

Officer Matthew John Rittner spent 17 years serving Milwaukee. On February 6, 2019, that service ended in gunfire while he and fellow officers carried out a search warrant. He was 35 years old. This Matthew Rittner memorial remembers a Milwaukee Police officer, Tactical Enforcement Unit member, and United States Marine Corps veteran whose life was taken in an act of deliberate violence. His name belongs at the center of the story: a… Read more

She Stood Between a Child and Gunfire: Remembering Jillian Smith

Officer Jillian Michelle Smith of Arlington Police, End of Watch December 28, 2010

Officer Jillian Michelle Smith had completed field training only 15 days before she answered a domestic violence call on December 28, 2010. When an armed attacker returned to the apartment, Jillian placed herself between him and an 11-year-old girl. The child survived. Jillian did not. She was 24 years old, ten days past her birthday, and at the beginning of the career she had wanted since childhood. This Jillian Smith memorial honors… Read more

The Law That Carries His Name: Remembering Officer Noah Leotta

Officer Noah Aaron Leotta of Montgomery County Police, End of Watch December 10, 2015

Officer Noah Aaron Leotta was 24 years old when an impaired driver struck him during a traffic stop. He was working to keep other families safe from the very danger that took his life. Seven days later, on December 10, 2015, he died from his injuries. This Noah Leotta memorial remembers a young officer whose service lasted nearly three years, whose enthusiasm reached the people around him, and whose death helped change… Read more

He Worked for His Dream: Remembering Officer Jason Raynor

Officer Jason Robert Raynor, Daytona Beach Police Department, End of Watch August 17, 2021

Officer Jason Robert Raynor was only 26. On June 23, 2021, the Daytona Beach police officer was shot while investigating a suspicious vehicle. He survived for nearly two months before dying on August 17, with his family beside him. The work he had chosen, and the future he had worked to build, should have continued for years. This Jason Raynor memorial remembers the young man behind the uniform: someone determined to become… Read more

She Deserved to Come Home: Remembering Officer Ella French

Officer Ella Grace French of Chicago Police, End of Watch August 7, 2021

Officer Ella Grace French was 29 when a traffic stop ended the life she had devoted to helping others. On August 7, 2021, the Chicago police officer was shot and killed. Her partner, Carlos Yanez Jr., was critically wounded. A night on duty became a permanent loss for her family and a lasting wound for the city she served. This Ella French memorial honors the person behind Star 15013: a daughter, a… Read more

Her First Shift, Her Final Watch: Remembering Ashley Guindon

Officer Ashley Marie Guindon of Prince William County Police, End of Watch February 27, 2016

One day after taking her oath, Officer Ashley Marie Guindon answered a call for help and never came home. She was 28. Her career with the Prince William County Police Department should have been opening into years of service. Instead, February 27, 2016, became her End of Watch. This Ashley Guindon memorial honors the woman behind that devastating first-shift headline: a Marine Corps reservist, a daughter, and a new police officer whose… Read more