CLEVELAND — A parade to honor the men and women in blue was held Friday morning in Cleveland.
It started at Lakeside Avenue and East 12th Street. Participants in the parade included local, state and federal authorities as well as law enforcement from Canada.
The parade saluted police and the families who lost loved ones in the line of duty.
“Losing a family member that was an officer and died in the line of duty is a very hard thing to go through,” said Kayla Nguyen. “When you get to come to these events and see all of these different people who are here to support you and be there for you, its really moving.”
Nguyen lost her father, Vu Nguyen, in 2018 after he collapsed during a training exercise.
The Nguyen family unfortunately knows all too well how Det. James Skernivitz’s family feels. The 22-year veteran was killed in the line of duty just eight months ago.
Friday morning, Skernivitz’s family laid a wreath at the Cleveland Peace Officers Memorial where his name is now etched.
During the service, a new CPD recruit class was also paying their respects to the fallen officers.
While many police departments are struggling to attract talent, Chief Calvin Williams says that isn’t the case for CPD.
“We’re fortunate here in Northeast Ohio,” said Williams. “We have a lot of folks who see the call and know the importance of policing and having good officers from our community. We haven’t had that difficult of a time of recruiting.”
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