Douglas County Sheriff’s Office To Honor Fallen Law Enforcement Officers At Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony

ROSEBURG, Ore. — Douglas County community members will gather Thursday morning to honor six local law enforcement officers who never returned home from their service.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will host a Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 14, on the front lawn of the Douglas County Courthouse. The ceremony is open to the public.

The annual remembrance comes during National Police Week, a time set aside across the country to recognize law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. Peace Officer Memorial Day is observed each year on May 15, following a proclamation signed by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

This year’s local ceremony will remember six Douglas County officers whose names remain part of the county’s law enforcement history:

• Officer Donald DeSues, Roseburg Police Department, who died in the line of duty on August 7, 1959
• Special Deputy Ronald H. Terwilliger, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on July 23, 1985
• Corporal Virgle D. Knight Jr., Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on July 23, 1985
• Sergeant Gerald G. Chirrick, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on July 23, 1985
• Deputy Morris L. Taylor, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on September 14, 2002
• Deputy S. Allen Burdic, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, who died in the line of duty on March 11, 2021

The ceremony will include several traditional honors, including a proclamation reading by the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, an honor guard, a wreath laying ceremony, bagpipes, a 21-gun salute and a county-wide radio broadcast.

For many, the ceremony is more than a formal observance. It is a moment to remember the lives, families and sacrifice behind each name. It is also a reminder that the impact of a fallen officer continues long after the day they are lost, carried by loved ones, coworkers and the communities they served.

Community members who wish to pay their respects are invited to attend Thursday’s ceremony at the courthouse.

More information about fallen officers can be found through the Officer Down Memorial Page at odmp.org.