He was hired in December 2000 after working in the county prosecutor’s office. Mills worked primarily in the warrants division at the BCSO, retiring in June 2019. He returned to part-time duty in September 2019.
The ceremony started at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London with a flute tribute before the families of the lost officers were escorted in. A procession marched by, including bagpipe-players and drummers from law enforcement agencies all over the state.
A memorial wreath was hung below the eternal flame and a woman sang the National Anthem before a reverend led the attendees in prayer.
In addition to Mills, the memorial wall also now pay tribute to Matthew Yates, a Clark County Sheriff’s deputy shot to death last year responding to a deadly domestic incident.
The memorial event added eight law enforcement officers who died between 2020 and 2022.
Attorney General Dave Yost said during the ceremony that the purpose of the memorial wall is to ensure the officers who died in the line of duty will not be forgotten.
“The promise that we make to fallen officers — to keep their memories alive — is not only for them,” Yost said. “We do it for the officers and deputies who stand and serve now. “We do this so that all of them know how much we value them, and their mission and their courage.”
Staff writers Lauren Pack and Jessica Orozco contributed to this report.
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