Delco community honors 2 police officers killed in line of duty for special ceremony in Prospect Park
PROSPECT PARK, Pa. (CBS) -- A community in Delaware County paid tribute to a pair of fallen heroes. The borough of Prospect Park held a special ceremony Wednesday honoring the sacrifice of two police officers killed years ago in the line of duty.
It was a somber moment outside the Prospect Park Police Department.
Dozens watched as the borough unveiled banners placed in memory of fallen police officers Luke Conner and Horace Callaghan.
Dillon Fox is Officer Callaghan's great-great-grandson.
"It's awesome," he said. "Honestly, like, even though he died 83 years ago, it's really awesome that he's still being honored and remembered."
In 1940, Officer Callaghan was directing traffic on Chester Pike when he was hit and killed by a drunk driver. Just over 20 years earlier in 1919, Officer Conner was on foot patrol on the same road when he was hit and killed by a car.
Today the Borough of Prospect Park unveiled banners honoring the memory of two fallen Prospect Park Police officers. Officer Luke Conner was hit by a driver while he was on foot patrol in 1919. Officer Horace Callaghan was hit by a drunk driver while directing traffic in 1940. pic.twitter.com/mPcMnJ4EER
— Madeleine Wright (@MWrightReports) October 25, 2023
"It's nice to know that communities don't forget our officers and even if it's decades later, it's really nice to know they'll live together with us in eternity in the brotherhood of policing," Prospect Park Police Chief David Madonna said.
Fox is a patrol officer for the Warminster Township Police Department in Bucks County. He joined the force 18 years ago having no idea his great-great-grandfather was an officer at Prospect Park.
"I was with my grandmother and we were talking about police work and she said, 'Oh, by the way, my grandfather was a police officer. He was killed in the line of duty,'" Fox said. "And I was like, 'Really?'"
A photo from 2011 shows Officer Fox visiting Callaghan's plaque at the Delaware County Police Officers' Memorial in Media. He said he's proud to follow in the footsteps of a hero.
"I look up to him, even though I never met him," he said. "I look up to him and I use his strength every day when I go to work."
Officer Fox says he hopes to make his great-great-grandfather proud every day on the job.