Video above courtesy of Nebraska State Patrol
GRAND ISLAND, NE — Nebraska started National Police Week by honoring two law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty since 2019.
At a ceremony in Grand Island, officials added the names of Nebraska State Trooper Jerry Smith and Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera to the memorial wall. They are the 147th and 148th names added to the monument.
Smith died on June 20, 2019 when his car was in a crash on highway 26 near Bridgeport. A car in the opposite lane was rear-ended, resulting in it crossing the center line and colliding head-on with Smith’s patrol vehicle.
One of the two other drivers, Derek Lacrete, also died as result of the crash.
Herrera was shot in Lincoln by Felipe Vazquez while attempting to serve a second-degree assault warrant on August 16, 2020. He died from his injuries about two weeks later in Omaha.
Law enforcement leadership as well as Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts and Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson attended and spoke at Monday’s ceremony.
The ceremony was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Police Week in 2021 runs from May 9, to May 15.
