PLAINFIELD, Ind. — Back in the same place where their careers began law enforcement, officers from different agencies gathered once again at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.
This time not to celebrate the graduation of new officers, but to remember the ones they've lost.
"To remember who they were as a person and recognize their sacrifice. The heavy price they paid to serve others in their communities, with honor and dignity until their last breath," said Tarence French Jr. with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Every holiday season, officers gather with the families of their fallen comrades to honor them and let their families know neither they nor their loved ones have been forgotten. This year, they added two more names to the ceremony: Hendricks County Sheriff's Office Deputy Sheriff Fred Fislar and Newton County Sheriff's Office Cpl. Brandon Schreiber.
"It is the families of these officers who truly bear the weight of this commitment. You stood by them through the long hours and missed holidays and the worries that come with this noble profession. You recognized the parrels they confronted and stood by them fully aware that their dedication were essential to the fabric of our society," said Ayham Mahmoud with IU Health's police department.
This is something Sarah Shahnavaz knows well. She's now 24 years old, the same age her brother, Noah, was when he was killed in 2022 while on duty with the Elwood Police Department.
"Now, every time I hear another officer has died in the line of duty. I don't just feel empathy about the situation. I picture in great detail what it must be like for another family to get that call and to have to plan a funeral for someone that was not supposed to die yet," she said.
For the other officers in the room, the ceremony and the words spoken by family members of fallen officers is a stark reminder of what could happen.
"We grieve all the things he'll never get to do, and we grieve the fact that we are all getting older without him," said Shahnavaz.
It's a reminder of how fragile life is, and that their legacy is not just in the badges they wore, but in the love they shared with their families.
"If only we can turn back time and relive just a moment with them. Unfortunately they can't. I choose to believe that death isn't the end and somehow in a way we can't understand, they are still here with us," said Shahnavaz.
Because, as one officer said, as long as they live in the hearts, they left behind they'll never truly die.