James Ryan McCandless and Trevor Slot, graduates of Ferris State University’s Criminal
Justice program, are among 362 fallen officers whose names have been enshrined on
the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.
The names were formally read and dedicated Sunday, May 13 during the 24th annual candlelight vigil held to recognize officers who have paid the ultimate price for their service. The event, which kicked off National Police Week, was attended by thousands of people, including the officers’ families and representatives of their police departments.
Slot, who graduated from Ferris’ Criminal Justice program in 1993, was an officer with the Walker Police Department in Walker, Mich. He died Oct. 13, 2011 while trying to stop fleeing bank robbery suspects who were then killed by police. He was 41.
McCandless, a 2005 Ferris graduate, was working for the Rapid City, S.D. Police Department when he and a fellow officer died from injuries suffered during an Aug. 2, 2011 shootout that occurred during a routine traffic stop. McCandless, of Midland, Mich., was 28.
Ryan’s parents, James and Kathy, recently created the Ryan McCandless Memorial Endowed Scholarship for students enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Ferris. The scholarship will be awarded to one or more full-time sophomore, junior or senior students who maintain a 3.0 grade point average. For more information about the scholarship or to make a contribution, contact The Ferris Foundation at (231) 591-2365 or [email protected].
Of the 362 names dedicated this year on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, 163 were officers killed in the line of duty during 2011, and 199 were names of officers previously undiscovered.
The national monument now contains the names of 19,660 fallen law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, dating back to 1791.