Jacksonville community honors Lance Whitaker by adding his name to the Fallen Officer Memorial Wall

On Wednesday our community honored Officer Lance Whitaker, the Jacksonville father who died in the line of duty last year.

Since 1840, there have been 62 police officers in Jacksonville who have died while protecting the community they serve.

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Dozens of officers stood Wednesday morning with arms raised in a salute as they honored their fallen brothers and the families who have sacrificed so much.

Lisa McKinney tells us she had wonderful memories of her ex-husband Lance Whitaker.

“All the stuff we will miss as a family, we were very good co-parents, very good friends,” McKinney said.

Whitaker  was a father, fiancé, and 17-year veteran with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

During the service, Whitakers name was added  to the Fallen Officer’s Memorial Wall.

The 48-year-old officer died last May in a car crash on I-295.

His 15-year-old son, Cade, unveiled his father’s name on the wall.

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“I know that Cade was especially conflicted about having to do it; but feeling so much pride for his dad, I think that he will look back with that same amount of pride and just know that his dad -- he was a hero,” McKinney said.

McKinney said tributes such as these will always be important not only to her but also to the dozens of other families who’ve lost a loved one in the service of others.

“It feels like a unique brotherhood of families given that we all share a loss, so think that gives us a bond that no one else will ever have,” she said.

Mayor Lenny Curry also proclaimed April 24 as Police Memorial Day in Jacksonville.

National Police Week begins May 6 with memorials planned in Washington D.C.

Cox Media Group