Protecting The Palm Beaches, A Tribute to Those Who Serve and Sacrifice
Bottom Line: This weekly feature is designed to recognize those who've paid the ultimate price in service and to serve as a reminder of what our police risk to keep us safe. After years of increases in LODs, including multiple record years, thankfully 2023 produced the fewest line-of-duty deaths in the 2000’s. Let’s pray for the improvement to continue this year.
- We lost 123 heroes in the line-of-duty in 2023 including 3 in Florida
- We’ve lost 11 heroes in the line-of-duty in 2024 including 1 in Florida
We’ve lost these heroes since the previous update.
- In New Jersey, Sergeant Michael Kurinzi died of cancer attributed to work at Ground Zero on 9/11. A Marine Corps veteran, he’s survived by a wife and two children.
- In Port St. Lucie, Trooper Zachary Fink (pictured) was killed in a crash while in pursuit of a suspect on the run on I-95. The suspect, with a long rap sheet, drove the wrong way on I-95 for a time and eventually ditched his car and fled on foot. He was apprehended.
- In South Dakota, Deputy Ken Prorok was murdered by a suspect on the run. He was deploying spike strips to attempt to stop the suspect's vehicle when the driver intentionally veered off the road to hit him. He’s survived by a wife and three children.
- In Georgia, Deputy Timothy Rivers was killed in a crash while responding to an emergency call. He’s survived by two children.
- In North Carolina, Deputy Christopher Johnson was killed in a crash while on school security detail. He’s survived by a wife and four children.
As we reflect on those we’ve lost, please remember the families of our fallen as well. The average age is 42, the average tour-of-duty – 12 years. In addition to losing 11 law enforcement professionals in the line-of-duty this year, there are 7 widows and 11 children who’ve lost a parent.