OGDEN — Under a blazing sun, family members of fallen Ogden police officers somberly unveiled a granite monument Wednesday honoring nine lawmen who died in the line of duty.
Dozens of people, including numerous law enforcement personnel in dress uniform, attended the hourlong ceremony at the Municipal Gardens, 2549 Washington Blvd.
The monument, standing about 5 feet tall, bears the names of the nine officers.
Officer William A. Brown, who was shot to death in 1899 while apprehending two robbers, was the first Ogden lawman killed.
Officer Jared Francom, who died from a gunshot wound in January while serving a search warrant with the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force, is the police department’s most recent fatality.
Francom’s widow, Erin, and his parents, Jade and Michelle Francom, participated in unveiling the monument.
“It’s a lovely tribute,” Erin Francom said after the ceremony, adding she may bring her two daughters to view the monument.
Marilyn Hansen and Margorie Nichols — the daughters of Officer Clarence M. Bean, who died in 1945 following an attack by a man in a 25th Street bar — also helped unveil the monument.
“It’s a beautiful monument,” said Hansen, who was 11 years old when her father died.
Hansen said she remembers the massive crowd that attended her father’s funeral and a large contingent of police officers accompanying his casket to the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
“You don’t get over it,” she said of her dad’s death.
The monument, valued at several thousand dollars, was donated by the Mark H. Bott Company, a monument company based in Ogden.
It replaces a former law enforcement monument that stood on the same site in the Memorial Gardens that was in need of repair, said Dave Bott, owner of the company.
The back of the monument has space for the names of any future fallen officers. The monument also has a bar code that, when scanned with a smart phone, links to newspaper articles about the nine officers.
Police Chief Mike Ashment told those at the ceremony the monument will serve as a reminder of officers who put their lives on the line.
“We are here to memorialize Ogden police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for the citizens of Ogden,” Ashment said, expressing hope that no more names are added to the monument.
Mayor Mike Caldwell said he is thankful for the sacrifices of Ogden police officers and their families.
“We want you to know, we love and appreciate you,” he said.
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