They never knew him, but Ernest C. Johnson’s sacrifice weighed heavily on the minds of four of his granddaughters Thursday.
The women grew up hearing stories about the Arnold police sergeant and the scar his April 2, 1953, line-of-duty death left on their family. All four were born after his death.
“We never met him, but we know he loved his family,” said Jennifer Kristofik of Centre County.
Kristofik, Kathy Mahan of Arnold and Grace Ann Sims and Diane Lucas, both of New Kensington, honored their grandfather Thursday during the annual Law Enforcement Memorial Service at St. Clair Park in Greensburg. Johnson was one of 28 fallen officers in Westmoreland County since 1903 to be remembered during the ceremony.
Johnson died after exchanging gunfire with an armed suspect on Fourth Avenue, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page. Arnold police Chief Michael W. Peltz was injured in the encounter and died two days later.
Johnson’s granddaughters attended the memorial for the first time Thursday — “to honor him, all of them actually,” Sims said. Kristofik is the aunt of New Kensington policeman Brian Shaw, who was fatally shot Nov. 17, 2017, during a traffic stop on Leishman Avenue.
The event, planned by the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, coincides with National Police Week, which was established in 1962, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. About 100 people, including police, attorneys and elected officials, attended.
The names of the fallen officers were read, and family members or police officers placed a white carnation in a basket in their memory. Speakers called the 28 officers heroes who took an oath to protect and serve their communities.
“This event is more than a homage, it is a somber reminder of the cost of safety and peace,” Latrobe police Chief Richard Bosco said.
The job often means missing holidays and other events or activities with their families, said Michael Kanuch, regional director for the Bureau of Narcotics Investigations with the state Attorney General’s Office.
“Our families know each and every day what we are committed to doing,” he said.
That includes running toward danger to protect their community, family and peers, Kanuch said.
“We honor our brothers and sisters today, and their family members, because they made a difference and they rose to that challenge each and every day,” he said.
District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced that she plans to erect a law enforcement memorial to honor the 28 fallen officers and their families outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse. The memorial will be unveiled this summer, she said.
“These officers that we honor today gave up their lives so that we could continue living ours, and there is no greater selfless act,” she said.
