SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento deputies have experienced numerous losses over the years as their friends and coworkers died in the line duty. With the loss of Deputy Mark Stasyuk, the number of losses has outgrown a memorial that his old friends and coworkers kept in Washington, D.C.
In 2009, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association shipped its memorial door to Kelly's Irish Times, a cop-friendly bar with a large collection of police memorabilia. It came about after their president, Kevin Mickelson, saw memorial doors during his 2008 stay in D.C. for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Since then, it has been among other memorabilia on display during May as people honor fallen law enforcement. Unfortunately, the memorial has tragically seen more additions to it over the years.
“As we have lost a couple of additional officers over the years, I fly back the week before, and I change out the names on the window,” Mickelson said.
When Deputy Robert French was killed in 2017, Mickelson had to add the name of a man who was both his friend and best man at his wedding.
"Last year, when I added Bobby French's name, we were out of room on the window," Mickelson said. "I thought 'Well, hopefully we'll never lose another one.' Then, we lost Mark Stasyuk."
The association sent a new memorial door with a bigger window, which let the memorial not only get Stasyuk's name added, but also added the Rancho Cordova Police Department star.
Mickelson said about 50 deputies plan on going back to D.C. this year to honor Stasyuk and his family in their own way.
“There will be one night back there where we will all go to Kelly’s Irish Time’s and we will toast Mark,” said Mickelson.
Photos: Sacramento deputies honor fallen friends with memorial door in D.C.
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