DAYTON — A large memorial to Dayton Police officer Steve Whalen has been vandalized twice in the last five days.
Officer Whalen was killed in the line of duty in 1991 when a man suspected of being involved in a shooting at a hotel, then opened fire when Whalen pulled him over.
“Steve Whalen was a community police officer before that was in fashion, the kind of officer that got out of his car, shake hands, knew people’s first name, they knew his name,” explained former officer Monnie Bush.
The roadside memorial covered a retaining wall and it read: support, community, hope and peace. It also included a painting of whalen and his trademark mustache.
The first vandals drew a crude picture of a pig over Whalen’s face. The second vandalism was painted profanities and offensive statements about police officers.
Bush once worked as a police officer but now runs the Victory Project, an agency that works with at-risk young men in West and East Dayton, providing life skills and job opportunities.
He is partnering with others in the community to raise money to re-design and rebuild the memorial.
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