CINCINNATI, Ohio — It’s National Police Week and agencies across Ohio are honoring officers who have gone above and beyond the call of service and those who died in the line of duty.
What You Need To Know
- The annual FOP Memorial in the Cincinnati-area was back after taking last year off because of the pandemic
- The memorial honors current law enforcement officers that have gone above and beyond the call of duty
- The memorial also honors any officers that have died in the line of duty
- This year, two officers, Kaia Grant and Adam McMillan, were honored after they died in the line of duty
It was a sobering moment as two fallen police officers were remembered at the start of National Police Week in the Queen City.
One of those officers was Springdale Police Officer Kaia Grant, who was killed in the line of duty last March.
Her police chief, Thomas Wells, was like a father figure to Grant. He said he never imagined he’d have to speak at a memorial for one of his own officers.
“It’s so critically important that we make sure that we honor the sacrifices of police officers,” Wells said. “I mean every single one of the officers that were here today, they come in every day, they put the uniform on, they face the danger. They have no idea whether they’re going to go home or not, just like Kaia didn’t know that day either.”
Wells said Grant was one of those people that everyone wanted to be around.
“She was really just a person that was larger than life and had such a nice way with people, especially people in crisis,” he said. “She was so good at calmness and keeping things diffused and de-escalated, just a tremendous personality for the job.”
Wells along with Grant’s father laid a wreath down in Grant’s memory. Her parents have also been a large support system for the entire police department.
“I can’t be more proud of Kaia’s mom and dad,” Wells said. “They handle their grief in different ways but both of them have been such a source of strength to us as well. Here in this situation, it’s the worst thing that could have happened in their life (but) they find ways to find strength and love us, which has been huge for us.”
The other officer honored was Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputy Adam McMillan.
