More than a hundred people turned out Monday to remember slain Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick on the fourth anniversary of his death, dedicating a memorial bearing his likeness at the city's Market Square Park.
Patrick's brother, the pastor of Patrick's church and several elected officials spoke about the officer, who was shot and killed by a motorist he had stopped.
"The stone and the plaque will tell the story of that day," Dakota County Commissioner Tom Egan said.
Patrick's widow, Michelle, and daughters Amy and Erin got the first glimpses of the plaque, mounted on a 5-foot, 3,340-pound monument made of rose-colored granite.
The $11,000 memorial, paid for by a nonprofit memorial fund, describes Patrick's death and proclaims him "Fallen, but not forgotten."
The ceremony featured a bagpiper and color guard and was attended by several dozen law enforcement officers.
Mark McNeill, Mendota Heights city administrator, said it was important to create a "sense of permanent honor" for Patrick. "There's never going to be full closure, but this, I think, was a step in the right direction," he said.
U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis attended, saying he wanted to show support for police. "I think it's high time to give the law enforcement on the line the benefit of the doubt," he said.
