05/21/2023
On Friday after attending our monthly meeting of the Governor’s Child-Oversight Commission, I was able to bear witness to the 31st Annual New Hampshire Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Ceremony. Heartfelt thanks and recognition to all the families that have served and sacrificed to protect our communities. Special thanks to Detective John Suglia and Officer Dan Ryan that attended on behalf of Exeter(NH) Police Department to honor and remember Officer Albert L. Colson. 💜
From Exeter Police Department:
“While serving with the Exeter Police Department on July 3, 1924, Officer Colson, along with his friend and neighbor, Arthur C. Bennet, went to the home of J. Parker McDuffy on Franklin Street. The year before, McDuffy had been greatly annoyed by some local boys the night before the Fourth of July, so this night, McDuffy had notified the police that he would protect himself against any intruders. When the two men arrived, McDuffy was sitting on his steps with a shotgun on his lap. After speaking a few words with him, Colson tried to disarm McDuffy, who pulled out a revolver and shot Colson in the abdomen. Officer Colson died almost instantly. When Mr. Bennett tried to take the shotgun away, he too was shot by McDuffy and died at the hospital a few hours later. McDuffy was persuaded to surrender to police.
Sadly, three additional names were placed on the memorial this year: Department of Corrections Officer Lawrence Prather, Manchester Officer Frank J. Dustin, and Hillsborough Officer Rory Bohanan.
For the law enforcement community and loved ones, this has been a week of remembrance. National Police Week is being held this week and serves as a time for members of law enforcement, survivors, and citizens to gather and remember those brave men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty. We must never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities.”
