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 19 heroes in the line-of-duty in 2024 including 1 in Florida
We’ve lost these heroes since the previous update.
- In Tennessee, Deputy Robert Leonard died in a crash while transporting a suspect he’d just arrested. He’s survived by his wife and five children.
- In Minnesota, Officers Paul Elmstrand (pictured) and Matthew Ruge were murdered while responding to a domestic disturbance. Upon arriving at the scene, first responders were ambushed. The suspect committed suicide. Paul is survived by a wife and two children.
- In Georgia, Trooper Chase Redner was struck and killed while processing a crash on the interstate.
As we reflect on those we’ve lost, please remember the families of our fallen as well. The average age is 41, the average tour-of-duty – 10 years. In addition to losing 19 law enforcement professionals in the line-of-duty this year, there are 12 widows and 25 children who’ve lost a parent.