REGION DAYTON DAILY NEWS | B3 : Dayton police honor their fallen 24 have died in line of duty since 1880 By Lou GRIECO Igrieco@Dayton DailyNews.com DAYTON = As the names of the dead were read those 24 Dayton police officers who died in the line of dụty – the line of retirees walked forward and put small white flowers in the wțeath. “Our fallen heroes are looking down with tremendous pride,” police Director Julian Davis said. Dayton’s annual Police Memo rial Ceremony, held Friday on the steps of Sinclair Community Col. lege’s Building 10, honors the · Dayton officers killed as well as more than 17,000 officers killed nationwide, including 69 across the Miami Valley. High winds chilled tempera- tures and thunder sounded in the distance as the ceremony started, officer, and Jason Grossnickle, shot in 1996, whose father, Larry – a retired homicide sergeant – attended. while participants looked ner “I have known the last eight vously at the sky. , names on that list,” said Dayton – Dayton’s list starts with Lee Daily News columnist Dale HuffLynam in 1880 and ends with the man, who served as ’emcee. “We 2002 death of Mary Beall, two gather today for a somber reason. years after she was shot during a Today we take pause to standoff with a gunman. remember.” Some have died from accidents, Huffman also mentioned Kevin such as Officer Eddie Hobson, Brame, fatally shot in 1999 outside killed in a cruiser crash in 1981. his estranged wife’s home. Brame, Sgt. Paul Mortimer died in 1970, whose slaying remains unsolved, four years after he contracted is not included on the official list of hepatitis while removing clothing line-of-duty deaths. from a homicide victim. Officer Rodney Elsass received Mortimer’s brother William the Whalen Award in recognition followed him four years later, of outstanding community. dying the way most officers on oriented police work. The award is these lists die: From gunshot named for Officer Steve Whalen, wounds. who was shot to death in 1991. The audience included family Officer Christopher Cornwell, members of many of the more whose bulletproof vest stopped a recently fallen, including Beall, slug during a May 24 shooting, whose husband, John, is a police received the International Chiefs BILL REINKE/DAYTON DAILY NEWS DAYTON POLICE OFFICER Larry Grossnickle placed a . carnation and then saluted his son, Jason Grossnickle, who was killed in the line of duty. of Police/DuPont Kevlar Survi. vor’s Award. Several local officials, including city commissioners, county commissioners and county Common Pleas Court judges, attended the noon ceremony, which lasted about 30 minutes.’ Contact Lou Grieco at 225-2057