Montgomery county Officers trace Officer Leotta's newly unveiled engraving on the memorial wall pic.twitter.com/E1PEGJbXGL
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Color guard, procession of motorcycles, rifle volley as Montgomery County fallen heroes memorial service nears end pic.twitter.com/n0tRVSpPUV
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Family members of Montgomery County Officer Leotta, escorted by officers, light memorial candle pic.twitter.com/dAY2nMStzn
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Bell rung as name of each fallen officer in Montgomery County is read. Family members then light candle in memory pic.twitter.com/vsf99wlsil
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Montgomery county chief Manger: Officer Noah Leotta's sacrifice was felt around entire state and even nation pic.twitter.com/DWLGA7tZyy
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Family members of fallen officers stand to be recognized at Montgomery county fallen heroes memorial service pic.twitter.com/TPk79HR1mU
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
Candle to be lit for Montgomery County Officer Noah Leotta, killed by accused drunk driver pic.twitter.com/wg9tWQE86w
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
County executive Leggett: this is his 3rd memorial service for a first responder; one is too many pic.twitter.com/nhKwD4GoOD
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) May 4, 2016
GAITHERSBURG, Md. — Two recently fallen Maryland police officers were remembered Tuesday as their names were added to memorial walls.
Under gray skies, Montgomery County’s fallen officers were remembered at the annual Fallen Heroes Memorial Service.
This year, a new name was unveiled on the memorial wall.
“Officer Noah Leotta joins the ranks of our fallen heroes this year,” said County Police Chief Thomas Manger.
Leotta, 24, died a week after being struck by an accused drunken driver in December. He was hit after making a traffic stop along Rockville Pike as part of the holiday alcohol task force.
“Every name on this wall has left a legacy that lives on,” Manger said. “Noah’s sacrifice was felt around our entire state, and, indeed our nation.”
Following his death, the Maryland General Assembly passed “Noah’s Law,” which requires ignition interlock devices in the cars of anyone convicted of drunken driving. It is expected to be signed by Gov. Larry Hogan this month, and go into effect in October.
“Noah Leotta will continue to save lives on our roadways for many, many years to come,” Manger said. “This is a powerful, powerful legacy.”
Along with Leotta, the names of 19 other officers who served the county and died in the line of duty — dating back to 1928 — were read aloud. They include members of the Montgomery County Police Department, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.
A bell rang as each officer’s name was read during a roll call of fallen heroes. Later, a rifle volley saluted the officers. Friends and family members, escorted by officers, lit a memorial candle for each of the fallen.
Later Tuesday night, fallen Prince George’s County Det. Jacai Colson’s name was added to a memorial in the County Administration Building in Upper Marlboro.
Colson, 28, was shot March 13 after a man opened fire on police officers outside the department’s District III station in Landover, Maryland. Colson was inadvertently shot and killed by another responding officer.
A candle was lit for Colson in a ceremony held to remember the 54 officers that have died in the line of duty since 1932 in the county, WTOP’s television news partner NBC Washington reports.
WTOP’s Meg Hasken contributed to this report.
