LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Loved ones paused in downtown Louisville on Wednesday to honor officers who'd fallen in the line of duty, the most recent of which was Diedre Mengedoht, the Louisville Metro Police detective who died in a fiery crash on Christmas Eve.
During a ceremony in Jefferson Square, Nicolai Jilek, president of the River City Fraternal Order of Police, pointed to her name, newly etched on a monument.
"It is with the greatest reverence and heavy heart that this year we have etched yet another hero's name into the solemn stone monument behind me: Deidre Irene Mengedoht," he said.
Law enforcement officers, brothers and sisters in blue, were there for the ceremony, sharing a bond behind the badge. They paid honor to a solemn chapter of this fraternity, held in high esteem: those who lost their lives on the job.
"We are all still heartbroken," LMPD Chief Steve Conrad said.
Mengedoht's grandfather, Gill Stotts, called the ceremony "beautiful," but hard.
"Her little heart would be melting if she knew this was going on for her," he said. "It sure would."
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The 32-year-old detective was hit by a utility truck on I-64 on Christmas Eve last year. Former MSD driver Roger Burdette is charged with murder and DUI in connection with her death.
Mengedoht's family copes with pictures and memories, but Stotts said the loss still hurts.
"I just miss her a lot, man," he said. "I really do."
Loved ones laid flowers at a wreath Wednesday in front of the flame in a tearful sign of respect. Mengadoht's name is the 114th added to the monument, resting beneath fellow fallen LMPD officers Nick Rodman, killed in 2017, and Peter Grignon, who died in 2005.
"Makes us swell with pride," said Donald Grignon, Peter Grignon's father. "The biggest fear a parent has is their children be forgotten."
One-hundred-and-fifty-eight officers died on the job in the U.S. in 2018. It's a fraternity where membership comes at the ultimate cost.
Next week, Mengedoht will be honored as part of National Police week in Washington.
Conrad said he will join detectives who worked on her squad, as well as her major, members of the LMPD honor guard and members of the pipes and drum team in Washington.
“There are about 50 that will be attending in total, many on their own time and their own dime," Conrad said. "This is all about honoring Deidre’s sacrifice.”
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