Memorials dedicated to fallen officers

MAT-SU -- Two ceremonies this week memorialized law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, placing permanent markers in public spots to keep their memory alive.

Palmer Police Chief George Boatright hosted a ceremony Saturday during Colony Days to unveil a memorial marker between the Palmer station and the Alaska State Trooper offices.

The names of officer James Rowland and trooper Hans Roelle are etched in gold letters on a plaque set into granite stone.

Sherrod Elementary students, under the supervision of Public Works Director Rick Koch who organized the memorial project, laid concrete blocks to form a courtyard around the memorial.

Boatright said he believes projects like this help the young people feel a lasting connection between themselves and public service officers.

Rowland was shot at a Carrs Store parking lot in May 1999 by Kim Cook, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted of murder. Ryan Andrews, who later turned the gun on his two children and himself, reportedly killed Roelle when the trooper responded to a domestic-violence complaint last November.

Law enforcement officials are hoping the memorials build bonds of healing for both the communities and public safety officers.

"We hope people will look at something like this and feel a tinge of sadness, but also a sense of gratitude and acknowledgment for those who gave up their lives or part of their lives for their benefit," Boatright said.

We need to acknowledge that in the grief there is also joy because these officers are doing a job that they believe in," Boatright said.

Another ceremony dedicating the northbound Glenn Highway weigh station as the "Trooper Hans Roelle Memorial Weigh Station" was held on Monday at the weigh station.

A large sign proclaims the station's name about 20 yards from the building, and at the station a large mural depicts a commercial truck alongside an Alaska State Trooper patrol car.