By Tim Prudente
The Hanover Evening Sun
HANNOVER, Pa. — Two years ago, Kim Weigand had never met Kim Dunlap, the granddaughter of Police Chief Charles Roche who was killed in 1977 while investigating an accident.
But when Friday’s memorial service held to honor fallen officers of Adams County drew to a close - the two former strangers embraced like sisters.
“It seems like the family members of fallen police officers become a family among themselves,” said Weigand, whose son Michael was killed two years ago while on duty on a motorcycle escorting a charity ride to benefit Latimore Park. “We’re in a membership that nobody wants to join.”
The memorial service took place at Oak Lawn Memorial Gardens in Gettysburg on Friday morning and in attendance were representatives from local police departments including Cumberland, Reading, and Latimore townships and the Adams County Sheriff’s Department.
“It means a lot to have this ceremony and know that (my brother) is being honored and remembered,” said Erin Bevenour, the sister of Michael Weigand.
During the service, the names of the fallen officers were read and Adams County Judge Thomas Campbell placed a wreath alongside the monument that stands in their honor.
“It’s important for us to remember these officers,” said John Perry, chief of the Bonneauville Police Department. “But it’s unfortunate that it takes tragedy to bring people together like this.”
The memorial service began years ago when a few local officers met for breakfast at nearby Dunlap’s Restaurant & Bakery and then traveled to Oak Lawn to place flowers on the graves of the officers, Perry said. And although the service has grown in size, the traditional Dunlap’s breakfast and procession to the cemetery has remained, Perry said.
“I think it’s been good for these families to know that the officers will always be remembered,” he said.
The memorial service took place days before National Police Week, an annual event held in Washington, D.C. to honor fallen police officers from around the country. The week is highlighted by memorial services and a candlelight vigil and Weigand said many of the officers and families who attended the Adams County memorial will participate in the national event.
“This is like a kickoff to the National Police Week,” she said. “A lot of the officers and families start heading down right after this memorial.”
Some family members of fallen Adams County officers are also drawn together by participation in the Central Pa. COPS organization, or the Concerns of Police Survivors, said Weigand, the executive director of the local chapter.
According to Weigand, the group works to support the families of officers fallen in the line of duty by providing support and friendship.
“Nobody can understand what a mother goes through except another mother,” she said. “We have a ton of support from the community but our neighbors just don’t understand what it feels like. (COPS) helps in the sense that you talk to people who’ve been through the same thing and you realize you’re not alone.”
Weigand acknowledges COPS for the relationship she now has with Dunlap, another member of the group. And although each of them has lost a son or grandfather in the line of duty, their families have grown a bit larger too.
Kim Weigand holds a rose during a presentation by the Color Guard at a memorial service for fallen officers of Adams County.
The service took place on Friday morning at Oaks Lawn Memorial Gardens in Gettysburg and honored six fallen police officers.
The family of Michael C. Weigand gathered to lay flowers at a memorial service on Friday morning. The service honored six fallen officers of Adams County and was held at the Oaks Lawn Memorial Gardens in Gettysburg.
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