TOLL ROAD POST – An inscription on the memorial stone in front of the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post reads, “We Will Remember Them”.
On Wednesday, that promise was kept when local law enforcement officers, retired state police employees, local government officials, and family members of the fallen joined employees from the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post as they paid tribute to the 49 Indiana State Police employees who have died in the line of duty since the department’s inception in 1933.
Since the early days of the Indiana State Police, memorial services have been held at each Indiana State Police Post during the month of May. The memorial services are a way of paying tribute and remembering the ultimate sacrifice paid by state police employees who died while serving and protecting the citizens and visitors of Indiana. The services are also for the family members of the fallen heroes. The memorial services let the families of the fallen know that the sacrifice made by them, and their departed loved ones, will never be forgotten.
Wednesday’s service started with troopers standing at attention as Indiana State Police Area II Captain Chad Larsh read the names of the fallen employees. Lieutenant Bruce Duhaime, District Commander of the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post, provided a brief description of what led to the fallen employees’ final call. The solemn ceremony ended with the playing of Taps by a bugler.
Two Indiana State Troopers from the Toll Road Post have died in the line of duty:
Master Trooper David A. Deuter died July 16, 1998, while on a traffic stop in LaGrange County. While on the traffic stop, Master Trooper Deuter was standing beside the driver’s side door of the car he had stopped when he was struck and killed by a semi-tractor-trailer that was driving past.
Trooper Richard T. Gaston died March 4, 1999, while on a traffic stop in the final days of his field training. During the stop, a westbound semi-tractor-trailer drove off the roadway and struck the troopers’ vehicle and the vehicle they had stopped. Trooper Gaston and two people in the vehicle he had stopped died in the crash. His field training officer, Senior Trooper Bradley Kaizer, was seriously injured in the crash.
For a complete listing of Indiana State Police employees who died in the line of duty, visit the Indiana State Police website at IndianaTrooper.com
