Niles police and local elected officials pledged to support law enforcement and remember police officers killed on duty at an unveiling for a new statue at the police department May 19.
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Following a presentation of colors by members of the force and the national anthem, Mayor George Alpogianis spoke of his memories of deceased Officer Steven Zourkas, who had been a responding officer when Alpogianis’s home was burglarized in 2004.
Zourkas died in a vehicle crash while responding to a call for service in April 2005.
“In today’s world when everybody’s being critical of first responders, we must honor police departments across the nation,” Alpogianis said to a crowd of law enforcement members and local elected officials. “We will always support all of our guys and gals in blue as well as our Fire Department and Public Works.”
Niles Chief of Police Luis Tigera said plans for the memorial began to take shape in August 2020.
Tigera said the statue, which depicts a policeman holding hands with a child, was “intended to serve as a reminder of the dedication of the men and women from this and other police departments who go out each day selflessly to protect and to serve you.”
The department has also added a full timeline of the history of Niles police inside the headquarters, Tigera said.