He died in the line of duty, now Whatcom police chief honored at national memorial
Longtime Whatcom County police chief Michael Knapp will be honored by having his name engraved into a wall at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., and in a ceremony Wednesday evening, May 13, that is part of National Police Week.
Knapp was on duty serving as interim chief for the Lynden Police Department when he was struck by a truck while crossing a street at dusk Nov. 5 in downtown Lynden. He died a day later after being airlifted to Seattle from St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham.
Knapp, who also served as chief of police for the Ferndale and Blaine departments during his distinguished career, will be one of 307 law enforcement members honored during the 2020 Roll Call of Heroes and a candlelight vigil scheduled for 5 p.m.. The vigil will be available for stream through many social media sources including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, the memorial website says, and virtual candles are available by donation.
According to a Facebook post by the Bellingham Police Department Wednesday, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation in 1962 designating May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day — part of National Police Week — and the National Law Enforcement Memorial was designed to honor all officers that die in the line of duty in the United States. Each year, their names are engraved on a memorial wall and are read aloud at a ceremony.
Knapp is one of four law enforcement members from Washington State who will be honored Wednesday after they died in the line of duty last year, joining the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office’s Justin Derosier, Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office’s Ryan Thompson and Pierce County Sheriff’s Offices Cooper Dyson.
Knapp was honored in Whatcom County with a law enforcement procession and public memorial in Bellingham on Nov. 20.
The Washington State Patrol investigated the traffic incident that resulted in Knapp’s death and determined not to cite the driver of the truck, Trooper Heather Axtman told The Bellingham Herald Wednesday.
This story was originally published May 13, 2020 at 10:49 AM.
