Troy Hosts Police Memorial Service, Honors Ceremony

Troy Police officers and law enforcement individuals nationwide who have lost their lives serving the public were honored Thursday morning at the city's annual police memorial service.

The Troy Police Honor Guard performed "Taps" and dignitaries placed memorial wreaths along the pathway east of the station in honor of those local police who died in the line of duty.

Troy Mayor Dane Slater, a retired Police Captain originally hired in 1974, put the notes aside and spoke from the heart: "This is probably the highest honor I could have as Mayor is to be here today, to recognize our great police department and those who gave their lives on behalf of our city," he said.

The department honored Troy officers Charles C. Smetana, Martin D. Chivas and Charles T. Mulvihill as well as service aide Stephanie Steele, who was killed in a July 1999 drunk driving accident while going home.

Honoring the fallen

Smetana, 33, died on December 11, 1969. While responding to an injury accident, he himself became involved in a crash.

Chivas, 24, was shot and killed on April 22, 1974 while investigating a burglary in progress. The suspects were prison escapees and were in the midst of a multi-state crime spree.

Mulvihill, a 10-year veteran of the department, died on September 11, 2001. He was responding to a call for service when he suffered apparent heart failure. Officer Mulvihill was a mentor and a friend to so many during his 10 years of service with the Troy Police Department.

Celebrating the best

Following the service, the department honored several officers, staff and members of the community at an awards ceremony in the San Marino Club.

Read about the accomplishments of those honored: 

Communications Supervisor Kelly Page said that her award as Non-Sworn Employee came as a "wonderful surprise" and that credit for the individual's success deserved to go all over the room. "I work with a great team," she said. "Folks who work with me stand up in support of the police and we're right there with them."

Lieutenant Thomas Gordon II has seen the department in many different lights. Gordon, who was honored as Command Officer, is a Troy native who originally joined the force at a time when more were staffed than there are today. However, the success of the Troy Police remained constant.

"It's an honor any time you can be recognized by your peers," he said. "I'm just glad to be representing that group that assisted us in that transition. It's the same quality of service, we're just not doing all of the things that we were doing."

Detective Kristina Shuler finds her passion in handling complicated and high profile investigations, often resulting in the issue of arrest warrants. Specifically, her experience interviewing resulted in a warrant from a homicide investigation involving an infant death.

"It's nice that people appreciate the reason we're here—not just the officers getting awards, but officers we've lost in the past," she said. "It can help remind us how dangerous this job can be."

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