Crime, Police/Fire

Baltimore County Police Department posts tribute for 2020 Police Memorial Day [VIDEO]

NOTTINGHAM, MD—Friday would have been the annual Police Memorial Day ceremony to honor the Baltimore County Police Department’s fallen officers and their families.

It could not be held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, the department has posted a video commemoration to mark the day.

Officials hope to reschedule the ceremony when circumstances permit.

The officers remember in Friday’s video are as follows:

Officer Edward Kuznar
On December 9, 1969, Officer Edward Kuznar died as a result of a traffic accident. While on traffic patrol near Kingsville, Kuznar was hit head-on by a driver who crossed the center line and crashed into his police car. Both the officer and the driver were killed.

Officer Charles Huckeba
Officer Charles Huckeba was shot and killed on July 6, 1977 in Precinct 1/Wilkens as police attempted to talk an armed, drug-abusing, barricaded youth into surrendering. Officer John Stem was also injured during this incident. Officer Stem succumbed to his injuries 23 years later on October 19, 2000.

Corporal Samuel Snyder
In August of 1983, Corporal Samuel Snyder, a thirty-year veteran of the department, was shot by a mentally ill subject while responding to a call for assistance from fellow officers in Towson. Officer Snyder died on August 23, 1983 from his wounds.

Officer Robert Zimmerman
On November 5, 1986, Officer Robert Zimmerman was on foot patrol on Edmondson Avenue in Precinct 1/Wilkens when he was struck in traffic and critically injured. The 41-year-old officer died on November 14, 1986 as a result of his injuries.

Sergeant Bruce Prothero
On February 7, 2000, Sergeant Bruce Prothero was shot and killed during an armed robbery on Reisterstown Road. Four men robbed the jewelry store where the married father of five worked part time as a security guard. Sergeant Prothero followed the armed robbers out of the store and was shot by one of the men. He died an hour later at a local hospital.

Officer John Stem
Officer John Stem died on October 19, 2000 of complications of paraplegia caused by a line-of-duty gunshot wound he suffered in July 1977. Officer Charles Huckeba was fatally wounded during the same incident in Precinct 1/Wilkens. Officers Stem and Huckeba and other officers were trying to subdue an agitated, armed, 19-year-old man who barricaded himself in his family’s home.

Sergeant Mark Parry
Sergeant Mark Parry died on January 21, 2002 from injuries sustained in a traffic crash. On December 27, 2001, while on routine patrol in Towson, Sergeant Parry’s unmarked police car was hit by a drunk driver. The driver fled the scene and was arrested a short distance later.

Lieutenant Michael Howe
Lieutenant Michael Howe died on August 11, 2008 following a massive stroke. On August 10, 2008, Lieutenant Howe was with his unit at the scene of a murder-suicide in Precinct 4/Pikesville. When Lieutenant Howe returned home after the incident, he collapsed. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he died the next afternoon.

Officer Jason Schneider
On August 28, 2013, Tactical Officer Jason Schneider was shot while serving a warrant in Precinct 1/Wilkens. An investigation into an August 19 shooting on Winters Lane led detectives to a home on Roberts Avenue. Tactical Officer Schneider was shot after an exchange of gunfire with a subject inside the Roberts Avenue home. He was transferred to Shock Trauma, where he later died. Officer Schneider was 36 years old.

Officer Amy Sorrels Caprio
On May 21, 2018, Officer Amy Caprio was run down in the line of duty while investigating a suspicious vehicle on Linwen Way connected to reported burglaries in Perry Hall.  Three of the four teens involved in Officer Caprio’s death reached a plea with the state to serve 30 years in prison.The fourth tee, the driver of the vehicle, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in August.  A local woman recently raised $6,000 for the Officer Caprio Playground Project at Gunpowder Elementary School by making & selling face masks.

The 202o Baltimore County Police Department video tribute can be viewed below.

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