Four Who Died in Line of Duty Remembered at Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony
(LONDON, Ohio) — In a solemn ceremony today at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost honored the lives of four Ohio peace officers who died in the line of duty in recent years and others who have sacrificed before them.
“Nothing that I do as attorney general is more important than being here today to recognize the indispensable role that law enforcement officers play in our lives,” Yost told those attending the 37th Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony, where he was joined by members of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission, law enforcement officers from throughout the state, and families of the fallen.
“Without the rule of law, we would live in chaos, fear, and destitution. And without brave men and women to defend the rule of law – our peace officers – the rule of law would cease to exist.”
Yost voiced his anger at the profound loss represented by the 840 names engraved on the memorial wall at OPOTA. And he lamented the death just days ago of Ohio’s first peace officer in 2025 — Hamilton County Deputy Larry Henderson, who was intentionally run down by a driver while directing traffic.
Yost called for an end to violence against law enforcement:
“We should never accept that these tragedies have to happen. How sad is it that we schedule this day, every May, because we know at least one officer will have made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others and protect our way of life? Why is that acceptable? I’ve grown weary of adding names to this wall during my tenure. I don’t want to see another officer die in the line of duty in Ohio, or anywhere else.”
The 2025 ceremony paid special tribute to four Ohio law enforcement officers lost in the line of duty between 2021 and 2024 as well as two historical honorees.
It also marked the 25th year of the Fallen Officers Memorial Wall, which was dedicated in 2000 on the grounds of OPOTA in London. The names engraved on the wall date back to 1832.
The four peace officers memorialized this year are:
Deputy Emrick devoted nearly 47 years to law enforcement and was still working as a detective when COVID-19 claimed his life in January 2021, five weeks shy of his 70th birthday. Emrick spent all but 18 months of his career with the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office, serving under three sheriffs. The two-time cancer survivor was described by colleagues as “tough” and “an old farm boy.” He began his law enforcement career in 1976 and served in numerous roles — first as a dispatcher, then as an undercover deputy investigating illegal drug trafficking. He was promoted to detective in 1994, working several major homicide and child-sex-abuse cases, and cases stemming from the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, an arm of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Becky; their son and daughter; and four grandchildren.
Lt. David W. Reynolds, Butler County Sheriff’s Office
Lt. Reynolds died in September 2021 of complications resulting from COVID-19, which he contracted while working at the Butler County jail. He was 58 years old. He joined Butler County in 2001 as a corrections officer and rose through the ranks to lieutenant. His wife, Becky, said her husband lived his faith on the job: “Working in the jail was a ministry to him.” She recalled running into former inmates around town who would stop her husband to tell him how they had gone through rehab or found a job and were turning their life around. Colleagues said young officers sought Reynolds’ advice, for career and personal matters, knowing they could count on him for a sympathetic ear. Lt. Reynolds is survived by his wife, three children, and two grandchildren.
Just 10 months into his tenure with the Euclid Police Department, Officer Derbin was fatally shot in an ambush. On May 11, 2024, he answered a 911 call from a woman who said her ex-boyfriend was lurking outside the house and texting her that he was going to kill her. Officer Derbin was 23. His family has a long tradition of public service, and he knew from a young age that he would answer the call. He idolized his grandfather who served for 27 years with the Brooklyn Heights Police Department and helped raise him. Officer Derbin now lies next to the grandfather in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Cuyahoga Heights. During his brief time with the Euclid Police Department, Chief Scott Meyer said, Officer Derbin “led with integrity and strength, showing us the power of his service.” Officer Derbin is survived by his mother and father, four siblings, grandmothers and other family members.
Officer Jamieson R. Ritter, Cleveland Division of Police
Officer Ritter was killed July 4, 2024, when he and several other officers went to a home to serve an arrest warrant. While attempting to flee on a bike, the suspect fired four shots, including one that struck Officer Ritter, who was 27. Colleagues said his acts of heroism typified the character he brought to his 3½ years with the department. Just a few months before his death, Officer Ritter and his partner saved a man who had jumped into the Cuyahoga River. A month later, they saved a man who had been shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. Said Police Chief Dorothy “Annie” Todd: “He was a guardian of our community, a beacon of hope, and a symbol of strength.” Officer Ritter is survived by his parents, a brother, two sisters, two nieces, and a nephew.
- John E. Sellers, a deputy marshal with the Shelby Police Department, was fatally shot in June of 1897 while attempting to remove a vagrant from the town’s train station depot. The vagrant was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Deputy Marshal Sellers was a husband, a father, and a veteran of the Civil War.
- Harvey L. Monbeck, a game warden for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife, was killed in a car crash en route to investigate reports of poaching at state game reserves south of Dayton. He had served as the state game warden in Montgomery County for eight years.
In ending his remarks today, Attorney General Yost encouraged all Ohioans not to wait until an Ohio peace officer is killed to thank them for the work they do – and to do their part to eliminate the need for any more names to be added to the memorial wall.
“This Circle of Heroes is a promise carved in stone,” he said. “That promise is: You will not be forgotten. But rather than see another name added to this wall, I would like us to close this circle once and for all.”
Ceremonial units from dozens of Ohio law enforcement agencies participated in today’s ceremony, with a rider-less horse provided by the Columbus Division of Police serving as a compelling symbol of the lives lost.
For more information on each officer’s life and legacy, visit the Fallen Officers Memorial webpage on the attorney general’s website.
A recording of AG Yost's remarks is available on the Ohio Channel website.
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