NEWBURYPORT – City Marshal Matthew Simons and members of the Newburyport Police Department attended and participated in the 35th annual memorial ceremony of the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
The ceremony, held on Thursday, Sept. 26 at the Massachusetts State House, honors police officers who died while in the line of duty. The state memorial, located in Beacon Hill, is inscribed with the names of 410 fallen Massachusetts officers.
Earlier this year, Newburyport Special Police Officer Alexander Griffin was added to the state memorial and the national memorial in Washington, D.C.
Special Officer Griffin was a veteran of the Civil War. On July 20, 1879, Special Officer Griffin succumbed to injuries he sustained two weeks prior during a confrontation with an unruly subject on the Fourth of July. He was 59 years old when he died.
Special Officer Griffin’s death in the line of duty is able to be honored because of extensive research conducted by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation.
Special Officer Griffin is the fourth Newburyport officer to be tributed in the memorial, joining Captain Patrick Creeden, Officer John H. Page Jr. and Captain Charles W. Wells.
At the ceremony, Marshal Simons participated in a roll call reading of the 410 names inscribed in the state memorial. Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll also delivered speeches.
“It is always a humbling experience to be part of a remembrance for officers killed in the line of duty,” said Marshal Simons. “It reminds us of the inherent dangers that police officers may face on a daily basis. I am thankful that we were able to finally properly honor the life and sacrifice of Special Officer Griffin.”
Other officers added to the memorial include Patrolman Daniel McLean of Beverly, Deputy Sheriff Anthony Pasquarello of the Essex County Sheriff Department, and Patrolman Paul Tracey of Waltham, who was fatally struck by a vehicle in the line of duty last year.
