Law enforcement honor guard members lined the hallway leading to the 2024 Clark County Law Enforcement Memorial where community members, families of fallen officers and others came together to honor the men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The ceremony at the Public Service Center in Vancouver included the posting of colors by a multi-agency honor guard. Hillsboro police officer Eric Bunday sang the national anthem and Amazing Grace, which was followed by a bell-ringing ceremony and the performance of Taps.
Guest speaker Jim Foote shared his story of overcoming multiple tragedies in his life. His father, James Foote, was killed in the line of duty by a traffic collision in 1974.
“We gather in remembrance of these fallen heroes and are reminded of the profound sacrifice that those wearing the badge have made,” Foote said during the ceremony. “We honor these men and women who gave their lives in the service of our communities. They embraced the call to protect. They serve with unwavering results. They were the helping hand in the darkness of night that knowing full well the risks that may lay ahead in the face of adversity.”
From 2021 through 2023, over a dozen law enforcement officers in Washington state died in the line of duty. They include Vancouver Police Department officer Donald Sahota, who was killed at his Battle Ground home in 2022. Sahota’s wife along with his family attended the ceremony of other fallen officers.
The names of those who died in the line of duty can be found at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial on the Capitol campus in Olympia as well as on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Fallen law enforcement officers in Clark County include:
• Police officer Donald Sahota, Vancouver Police Department, Jan. 29, 2022
• Sgt. Jeremy Brown, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, July 23, 2021
• Sgt. Brad Crawford, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 2004
• Trooper James S. Gain, Washington State Patrol, 1987
• Deputy Sheriff Martin S. Sowders, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 1976
• Trooper Don R. Campbell Jr., Washington State Patrol, 1951
• Special Agent Ernest B. Vlasich, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 1932
• Special Agent Ballard W. Turner, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 1932
• Sheriff Lester M. Wood, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 1927
• Deputy Sheriff Wilfred E. Rorison, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 1922
Fallen K-9s in Clark County include:
• K-9 Ike, Vancouver Police Department, 2015
• K-9 Kane, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 2011
• K-9 Dakota, Vancouver Police Department, 2007
• K-9 Lucky, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, 1990
• K-9 Brie, Clark County
Sheriff’s Office, 1987
