The life of Officer Kerrie Orozco touched thousands throughout the Omaha metro area. People continue to give to causes she stood for, and OPD is also honoring her with every new recruiting class.
The new KerrieOn Award will go to the top recruit who is a leader of commitment, loyalty, and sacrifice. It will be voted on by the staff and recruiting class each year. A plaque now hangs at the Omaha Police Department Training Academy.
Officer Orozco was killed in the line of duty working with the Metro Area Fugitive Task Force on May 20, 2015.
Officers who knew her say they’re not surprised by the outpouring of support since her death.
“Kerrie always talked about how she was a little piece to the puzzle. She always wanted to end gang violence in Omaha by being a little piece of the puzzle and reaching out to some many other little pieces in the community ,but really Kerrie’s death was a huge piece of the puzzle in bringing the community together,” said Officer Jessica Swanson, one of Kerrie’s close friends.
Officer Swanson and Detective Justin Rudloff have taken over one of Kerrie’s passions. They are now in charge of the OPD Officers Ball Committee, which is an event Kerrie started herself.
The First Responders Foundation is looking for donations to help send Kerrie's family and OPD officers to Washington DC when her name will be engraved in the National Law Enforcement Memorial. For more information go to: http://firstrespondersomaha.org/donate
