For Immediate Release
October 17, 2011
Contact: Jennifer Wilson
(570) 675-3931
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Pennsylvania State Troopers Association Dedicates Fallen Trooper Memorial

The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association (PSTA) hosted a dedication ceremony of the newly designated "Fallen Trooper Memorial Highway" on October 15, 2011, at the Matamoras Welcome Center in Pike County.

Senator Baker sponsored legislation designating a portion of I-84, from Lackawanna County to the Pennsylvania-New York state line, as the Fallen Trooper Memorial Highway following at the suggestion of retired State Police Major Michael Jordan.

PSTA President Bruce A. Edwards, State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan and Senator Baker offered brief remarks before unveiling a permanent highway sign and monument with family members who lost loved ones in their service to the commonwealth as members of the Pennsylvania State Police. The monument includes a special inscription and the names of all troopers killed in the line of duty.

Senator Baker's remarks follow:

Just as we should daily honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women in our armed forces, so should we recognize the professional capacity of the Pennsylvania State Police, as they contribute so much to public safety and Pennsylvania's security.

There is a special sadness when someone we deeply respect, trust, and depend on – the state trooper – is suddenly taken from us.

Despite continual upgrades in training and equipment and tactics and procedures, these are jobs for which risk and hazard are always present.  We wish with all our hearts that there would never be another name added to the Memorial Wall.  But there is simply no way to anticipate or avoid every criminal act and every accident of nature or human error.

We have a solemn obligation to the memories of those who lost their lives, to remember the pride, passion, and purpose with which they served.  We also have an obligation to the families, friends, and colleagues they left behind, to mourn what they have lost.

It is in patrolling our roads where the state police are most visible to our citizens.  There lies the significance of the designation of the Fallen Troopers Memorial Highway.  This is not meant to substitute for or supplant individual memorials in home communities.  Rather, it is to remind us all of the high price we pay for public safety, and the sacrifices involved.

This legislative effort began with the suggestion from someone who had worn the uniform for many years, Major Michael Jordan.  I am grateful for the chance to help create a meaningful memorial.

But it does not end here.  We honor the fallen troopers in a most proper and significant way when we strongly support the troopers serving today and into the future.