BOSTON – The names of Captain Patrick Creeden, Officer John Page Jr. and Officer Charles Wells, all of the Newburyport Police Department, were added to the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial during a ceremony Friday.
The memorial, which was first dedicated in 2004, honors 285 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. State Representative Michael A. Costello, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, was the chief legislative sponsor of the event.
“We are grateful for the service and the protection that law enforcement officers provide our citizens everyday,” said Representative Michael A. Costello. “We are particularly indebted to these individuals, who made the ultimate sacrifice and died while serving the Commonwealth.”
Attorney General Martha Coakley and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray both spoke at the event to commemorate the sacrifice of the state’s police officers. Newburyport Police Marshall Thomas Howard and Inspector Brian Brunault attended the event with members of the Newburyport Color Guard to honor their fallen brethren.
“It was only through the hard work of Marshall Howard and Inspector Brunault that these dedicated officers were able to be memorialized,” said Rep. Costello. “They spent hours researching the officers’ deaths, combing through newspaper and police archives.”
The names of Capt. Creeden, Page Jr., and Wells have all been engraved on the police memorial, which is located in Ashburton Park, outside of the State House on Bowdoin Street.