Editorial — Honoring the men and women who serve to protect us

They put themselves in harm’s way, willingly stepping into situations where their day or their life can come to an abrupt end.

In 2023, the names of 556 officers killed in the line of duty were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. These 556 officers include 224 officers who were killed during 2022. An additional 332 officers died in previous years (before 2022). Many of their stories of sacrifice had been lost to history until now. There are currently 23,785 names engraved on the Memorial.

It’s also hard not to think of the tragic loss of Garrett County Sheriff’s Deputy David E. Livengood, who was murdered in the line of duty in 1979.

David Foster’s article in a 2005 issue of The Republican, remembered the tragedy:

“...Twenty-six years ago this week, with copious front-page coverage, The Republican informed its readers of the cold-blooded murder of Sheriff’s Deputy David G. Livengood in Oakland. Two days after the first Garrett County sheriff’s deputy to be killed in the line of duty was laid to rest in Garrett County Memorial Gardens, in an editorial titled ‘It Finally Happened…’, editor Don Sincell wrote with the still-palpable shock felt by the entire community:

‘Because this type of incident has never happened before, we Garrett Countians are probably more guilty than most when it comes to taking the job of a law enforcement officer for granted. We don’t often stop and think about how many times these people literally place their lives on the line, yes, even here in Garrett County.’”

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reports that in the 10-year period of 2010-2019, there were an average of 163 police officer deaths, 50,072 assaults and 14,030 assaults with injuries to police officers on a yearly basis.

In Maryland, we are blessed to have outstanding law enforcement agencies led by some of the profession’s best.

The federal agencies that serve us — FBI, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service — are some of the most well-trained and qualified officers who are there to lead investigations or provide assistance to local agencies as needed.

We have the Maryland State Police barracks in McHenry — as well as the notable Trooper 5 helicopter serving this region.

The Garrett County Sheriff’s Office provides the most visible faces of law enforcement in many of our towns, providing community coverage, criminal investigations, narcotics deterrence — and even enforcing animal cruelty and neglect laws.

Oakland is the only municipality in the county to have its own police force, and we must also mention the Department of Natural Resources law enforcement personnel, who protect our public lands and waterways.

In the coming days, we’re hopeful residents will give thanks to these officers who proudly serve in the right way, who step into perilous situations in an effort to keep residents and the communities they serve safe.

We salute those who dedicate their lives to protect and serve.