West Virginia Universitys Department of Public Safety (DPS) is joining area law enforcement agencies at 10 a.m. Monday, May 14, to honor fallen comrades in front of the statue outside the Morgantown Public Safety Building on Spruce Street.
DPS officers will join officers of the Morgantown Police Department, Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, West Virginia State Police, Granville Police Department, Star City Police Department and Westover Police Department to place a wreath in honor of law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty.
The ceremony is in connection with National Peace Officers’Memorial Day (May 15) and National Police Week (May 13-19) to remember police officers who have died over the past year and to honor all officers who put their lives on the line each day.
Since 1996, we have averaged 165 officers killed in the line-of-duty each year in our nation,said Bob Roberts, DPS chief.We have paid honor to those who gave their lives protecting their communities for the last five years. In 2006, 145 officers were lost in the line-of-duty, and we are fortunate that none were lost in West Virginia.
In other department news, DPS recently received grants for equipment totaling more than $68,000, Roberts noted. The grants are from the Department of Homeland Securitys Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) and the Governors Highway Safety Program in the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles.
Our staff has worked very hard to get access to these programs, and the assistance from them allows us to address needs that our budget would not allow,Roberts said.The assistance furthers our ability to provide our campus with increased security and safety.
The grants from Homeland Security are providing a pair of night vision goggles and video enhancing equipment. DPS personnel will soon undergo training on the new equipment, Robert said.
The package contains everything needed to capture, analyze, enhance and print video images,Roberts said.
In addition, the Governor’s Highway Safety Program recently provided funding for the purchase of three digital in-car video cameras.
For more information, contact Roberts at 304-293-3136.