North Texas Sergeant Walking 163 Miles To Honor 163 Officers Killed Last Year
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBSDFW.COM) - A North Texas sergeant is honoring fallen officers in a special way. He's walking 163 miles to honor the 163 officers who were killed in the line of duty in 2018.
North Richland Hills Sgt. Brent Wright's week-long journey to Austin began Saturday morning from the department's police and fire memorial.
"It's a mile for every officer that died in the line of duty in 2018," Wright said.
He named his journey the "Walk of Reflection." He said he formed the idea of the tribute when it seemed an officer was falling every week last year.
"Unfortunately that number continued to grow as the end of the year came about. So we ended up with 163 officers," Wright said.
One of the 163 officers was Dallas officer Rogelio Santander, a three-year veteran with the department.
The community wanted to make sure to carry on Santander's legacy after he was fatally shot by a suspect outside of a Home Depot.
Carrying on legacies is a reason why Wright is walking. Whether the officers died to gunfire, auto accidents, Sept. 11 related illnesses or other hazards of the job, Wright wants to honor them.
"Just remember, just understand, what they did. And what they died for, it meant something. And that was the whole thing I wanted to make sure that there was a legacy for them. That they were remembered. That their departments, their communities and their families understood and know that we do care. And they're not forgotten. And their lives mattered," he said.
Wright said he hopes to turn his "Walk of Reflection" into a well-supported tradition.
