Photos by Eric Ayres Members of the Wheeling Police Department Honor Guard sit at attention during the department’s 10th Annual Law Enforcement Memorial ceremony Wednesday night at Heritage Port.

WHEELING — The Wheeling Police Department held its 10th annual Law Enforcement Memorial on Wednesday night at Heritage Port, where scores of citizens joined officers in saluting those who gave their lives in the line of duty.

The event takes place each year as part of National Police Week. A resonating word during the local memorial was “honor,” which was echoed by many speakers during the solemn ceremony that took place on a warm, picture-perfect evening with the sun setting in the background over the Ohio River.

“Within the police profession, honor is everything,” Wheeling Police Chief Shawn Schwertfeger said. “Honor isn’t given. Honor is earned. The reason we are here today is to honor those who have earned it. We are here today to honor our fallen brethren in the historic Wheeling Police Department. We are here today to honor all law enforcement professionals who have paid the ultimate sacrifices for their communities.”

Honor and integrity are found in the police code of ethics, in the oath of office and in day-to-day routines, and they are proudly demonstrated by the professionals who wear the uniform and serve the public, the chief said.

“On average, there is one law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 57 hours,” Deputy Chief William Noice said. “Since our country was formed in 1776, there have been 26,291 known line-of-duty deaths.”

The Wheeling Police Department — established in 1806, the oldest police department in West Virginia. In its 217-year history, the department has lost a total of nine police officers while they were performing their duties. Wednesday’s ceremony was dedicated to those brave officers who have given their lives in the line of duty, Noice said.

Featured speaker William Ihlenfeld II, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, said the threats to public safety have grown in many ways since his first term as a federal prosecutor that began back in 2010. From the emergence of the drug fentanyl to the prevalence of firearms among those in the illegal drug networks — the landscape of criminal activity is changing, Ihlenfeld said, warning that more criminals are becoming better financed, more sophisticated and just as violent.

“It’s safe to say the challenges faced by law enforcement today are much greater than they’ve ever been, and the risk that you all take as law enforcement officers are greater than before,” Ihlenfeld said. “The criminals are more dangerous, and the service you provide is more important than ever before.

“We need for city councils, county commissions, state legislatures to ensure that law enforcement is well funded.”

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott pledged to work with fellow city officials to provide the police department with all of the tools it needs to continue performing at the highest level.

Elliot noted that city leaders have shown support through significant investments in the department, which can be seen with the new, state-of-the-art police headquarters, take-home cruisers for every officer, some of the best law enforcement technology available and other commitments of financial support. But that’s not enough, the mayor said.

“Problems like homelessness, substance abuse, addiction, mental illness — we often look to law enforcement to solve these problems, and that’s not really fair,” Elliott said, noting that federal, state and local entities all need to collaborate to address the root of many of these problems in society. “We need to work together to come up with holistic solutions to these problems long before they reveal their symptoms through a 911 call.”

Ihlenfeld said collaborative efforts offer the most impactful means to fight crime in today’s world.

“Without these partnerships, we would fail,” he said. “Collectively, by using our innovation and our determination, we can and we do push back against the threats, no matter where they come from. By working together, we can effectively push back.”

During the ceremony, a wreath was laid next to a marker with the names of the nine members of the Wheeling Police Department who died in the line of duty. Although the most recent death of an officer happened in 1971 and before that in 1931, relatives of some of the fallen men have attended the annual service in Wheeling.

Wednesday night’s event was no exception, as descendants of Ptlm. James Robert Wolfe — whose “end of watch” came on Jan. 31, 1931, stood to be recognized during the event.

“James Wolfe was our grandfather,” said Peggy Gruber. “I live in Ohio, and the chief comes to my house and hand delivers an invitation to this ceremony, which I think is awesome.”

Gruber was joined by sister Kathleen Martinkosky, also from Ohio, and brother Jim Wolfe of Wheeling and his wife, Joyce.

“We were all born and raised here in Wheeling,” Martinkosky said, noting that the annual ceremony is a touching way to honor the memory of their grandfather. “This is amazing. We come every year.”

The names of all of the fallen Wheeling police officers were read during the ceremony, and a bell rang out after each name was called. In addition to Wolfe, they also included Ptlm. James Reiter Bailey, Oct. 11, 1971; Ptlm. Charles Ulrich “Bud” Brunhaus, Jan. 20, 1926; Ptlm. Ray Melvin Lazear, Jan. 12, 1925; Ptlm. Herman Henry Bartels, May 3, 1922; Ptlm. Henry Carl Seamon, Feb. 26, 1917; Ptlm Salavia C. “Lafe” Bowen, Dec. 26, 1902; Ptlm. Joseph Glenn, Jan. 17, 1888; and Ptlm. John P. Brady, Sept. 27, 1868.

Also during the ceremony, the invocation and benediction were delivered by Pastor Mike Eskridge, and patriotic selections were performed by Gage Joseph. The Wheeling Police Department Honor Guard posted the colors, participated in the wreath laying ceremony and gave a 21-gun salute before “Taps” and “Amazing Grace” were performed to close the evening.