Fallen Bucks Co. Officers To Be Remembered During Service

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Bucks County will pause on Monday, May 19 to remember the lives of 16 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty while protecting and serving their communities.

This year's Police Memorial Service begins at 7 p.m. at Saint Andrew Church, 81 Swamp Road, in Newtown Township. It is open to the community.

Dozens of officers from throughout the county are expected to attend the evening service, which is held in conjunction with National Police Memorial Week.

"We encourage everyone in the community to join us in doing our small part to honor and never forget those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting our communities," said event organizers.

During the poignant remembrance, officers carry the hats of the fallen officers to the front of the church while their names are read aloud.

The sound of the bagpipe will fill the air. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

Officers file into the church for the 2024 service. (Jeff Werner/Patch)

One of the hats will represent Pennsylvania State Constable Erwin Mondeau, the county's earliest known officer killed in the line of duty on Feb. 23, 1898. Mondeau was shot and killed in Doylestown as he and another constable attempted to arrest a man on a bench warrant for robbery.

Another hat will represent Henry Kolbe, who died in Doylestown on Sept. 22, 1914. Kolbe, a state constable in Doylestown, had been called to apprehend an 18-year-old man suspected of having stolen $48 from the office of Harrington H. Rosenberger and having forged a check for $75 on J.W. Stilwagon & Son.

Kolbe was shot and killed while escorting the forgery suspect to the Bucks County Prison on Pine, which is now the Michener Art Museum. On West Ashland near Clinton Street, the 18-year-old youth took out a .38-caliber revolver and shot Kolbe through the heart.

Another hat will represent Newtown Borough Police Officer Brian Gregg, who was shot and killed two decades ago inside the emergency department at St. Mary Medical Center. A park and a section of highway now bear his name in Newtown.

Bucks County's 16 Fallen Officers

• Pennsylvania State Deputy Constable Erwin Mondeau, 1898
• Pennsylvania State Constable Henry A. Kolbe, 1914
• Bucks County Sheriff Abram L. Kulp, 1927
• Quakertown Borough Police Officer Edward W. Shearer, 1936
• Dublin Borough Police Chief Eli M. Myers, 1965
• Bristol Township Police Detective George F. Stuckey, 1972
• Bensalem Township Police Officer James K. Armstrong, 1975
• Bensalem Township Police Officer Robert A. Yezzi, 1980
• Bucks County Deputy Sheriff Thomas A. Bateman, 1986
• Bucks County Deputy Sheriff George M. Warta, Jr., 1986
• Bucks County Ranger Stanley E. Flynn, 1993
• Plumstead Township Police Officer Joseph E. Hanusey III, 2002
• Newtown Borough Police Officer Brian S. Gregg, 2005
• Middletown Township Police Officer Christopher C. Jones, 2009
• Bucks County Ranger Thomas Booz, 2020
• Warrington Township K9 Officer Stephen C. Plum, 2022