MHP honors fallen officers - Bay St. Louis - SunHerald.com

MHP honors fallen officers - Bay St. Louis - SunHerald.com1 Comment
MHP honors fallen officers
By MARGARET BAKER - mbbaker@sunherald.com


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BAY ST. LOUIS -- State troopers gathered Sunday at the grave of Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. William Kenny, one of 27 MHP officers killed in the line of the duty over the years.
“People don’t realize the sacrifice that families have actually made,” said Kenny’s son, retired MPH Officer David Kenny, who attended Sunday’s gathering with his wife, Cindy, their son and other relatives. “It means a lot after this many years that the law enforcement family is still remembering him.”
Kenny was 12 years old when a drunk driver struck his father’s patrol car on U.S 90 near Long Beach, killing him on Dec. 21, 1967. At the time, Kenny said his father, a 17-year veteran of the force, was investigating a killing involving the Dixie Mafia.

MARGARET BAKER/SUN HERALD Retired MHP officer David Kenny stands by the grave of his father, Master Sgt. William Kenny.
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MHP officers simultaneously placed wreaths on the graves of slain MHP officers Sunday as part of National Police Memorial Week.
“A lot of people hate to see blue lights,” MHP Cpl. Johnny Poulos said. “We just all need to remember that officers risk their lives every day ... and save lives.”
Master Sgt. Glenn Grice said law enforcement officers always remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“They gave their lives to protect the people,” Grice said. “It shows we don’t forget the blue and grey. We hope the citizens don’t forget.”
)ther South Mississippi troopers remembered.
n Cyril J. Reichert, 45, died Feb. 5, 1947, a week after he was shot by a wanted man following a traffic stop just inside the Louisiana state line. The man was wanted in connection with an earlier shooting. Reichert had been with the agency for seven years.
n Joseph A. Pol, 52, died in an automobile accident near Louisville, Ky., on Nov. 27, 1965. Pol had been a state trooper for 15 years.
n David Bruce Ladner, 33, died April 12, 1987, days after he stopped a vehicle and the driver shot him twice. Ladner was able to flag down a motorist to take him to a hospital. He died two days later. He had been a trooper nine years and a section of U.S. 49 is now named in his memory.
n Paul Denham, 29, died Dec. 27, 1999, in a one-vehicle accident in Bay St. Louis shortly after working the scene of a fatal crash. Several witnesses said a vehicle cut off Denham’s cruiser, causing it to crash. Denham had been a law enforcement officer for 10 years.