ISP memorial pays special note to fallen Auburn trooper
GARTH SNOW
Captain Kevin Smith and Lt. Corey Culler read the roll call of 48 Indiana State Police officers and employees who have died in the line of duty. The roll call was part of a memorial service on Wednesday at the ISP Fort Wayne District Post on Ellison Road in southwest Fort Wayne.
By GARTH SNOW
gsnow@kpcmedia.com
This year’s Indiana State Police Fort Wayne Post Memorial Service honored yet another fallen trooper.
The name of Master Trooper James R. Bailey of Auburn was read at the service Wednesday at the post at 5811 Ellison Road in southwest Fort Wayne.
Bailey, of Auburn, was struck and killed March 3 as he was acting to stop a speeding vehicle on Interstate 69. On Monday, Bailey’s name was added to a stone memorial at the Fort Wayne Post. His bust plate will be added to the memorial board in the Post lobby. Bailey’s name is the most recent of 48 names on the ISP memorial marker. The first name is that of rookie Trooper Eugene Teague, slain by the Dillinger gang just miles into Illinois in 1933. Between those dates, the department has lost employees to gunfire and traffic crashes. Six troopers have died just within the Fort Wayne Post’s 11-county region. Read the full list at www.in.gov/isp/about-isp/in-memoriam.
Lieutenant Corey Culler, district commander of the Fort Wayne Post, welcomed officials, troopers and retirees. “We also would like to especially thank Amy Bailey, the Bailey family, and our other surviving spouses in attendance,” Culler said. “You are always in our hearts, our minds and our prayers. The bond that you have now is one that we will do our best to hold together, and whenever you need us we’re going to be there for you.
“The names and stories we read here today are the legacies that we must hold onto as we remember the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters.”
“This year has been filled with a whirlwind of emotions,” Culler said. “We grieve with the Bailey family today, yet we’ll find a way to heal through fellowship and camaraderie as we share a meal this afternoon and we share stories with one another.”
Captain Kevin Smith, Area II commander for the Indiana State Police, began a roll call of the fallen employees. Culler followed each name with a brief description of what led to the fallen employee’s final call.
The outdoor service began with the troop formation called to attention and ISP Chaplain Daniel Coffey offering prayer. “We render honor and perpetuate the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving within the Indiana State Police,” Coffey said. “May they rest in peace and may your celestial light perpetually shine upon them,” he asked.
The ceremony ended with the playing of taps by guest bugler Jon Zwick from Decatur.
The memorial service is held each May during National Police Week.