Merced peace officer memorial set for Wednesday

Game Warden George Rodolph died 100 years ago on a remote road outside Los Banos after a poacher shot him in the back.

He was the first peace officer ever killed in Merced County.

Since Rodolph’s death on Nov. 1, 1914, 15 more wardens, deputies, police and correctional officers from Merced County have died in the line of duty, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Their sacrifices will be honored Wednesday at the 10th annual Merced County Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony, held at the Art Kamangar Center Merced Theatre in downtown Merced.

Merced police Officer Stephan Gray was the last officer killed in the line of duty in the county. He died 11 years ago, April 15, 2004, when he was shot by a gang member who remained on the run for nearly three weeks before he was captured. The killer now sits on death row.

Sgt. Delray Shelton, the Sheriff’s Department’s spokesman, said the memorial reaffirms the importance of the men and women serving in law enforcement.

“The memorial is special because it allows the law enforcement community, the families of the decedents and general public a designated time that all can come together to celebrate the lives, bravery and heroism of all who made the ultimate sacrifice,” Shelton said.

Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, will be the keynote speaker.

Ghilarducci has more than three decades of experience responding to major emergencies and disasters.

He was involved in the response to the collapse of Interstate 880 in Oakland after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and the 1995 bombing in Oklahoma City. He helped coordinate California’s response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and advised the governor of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, according to the state Office of Emergency Services.

“We will forever remember the lives of our colleagues and loved ones that passed on,” Shelton said. “We will continue to fight the good fight so not another parent, friend, sibling or loved one will ever have to experience loss at the hand of an assailant.”

This story was originally published May 24, 2015 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Merced peace officer memorial set for Wednesday."