Officer Jerving's funeral, Honor Guard prepares: 'We love him'
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Police Department's Honor Guard leans on each other and shows strength in times of tragedy – its main goal to remember every officer's sacrifice.
Honor, service and gratitude are the rituals of fallen officer's funeral. That now includes Officer Peter Jerving, killed in the line of duty Tuesday, Feb. 8.
"It takes special people to do that," said Honor Guard Cmdr. Elvis Lock. "We want to pay homage to our brothers and sisters that not have only paid the ultimate sacrifice but those who have come before us to serve so honorably."
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To honor an officer killed in the line of duty, members organize and prepare for funerals. Jerving is the fifth Milwaukee officer killed while on duty since 2018.
"I have been out there in the field with them, I can share stories about him, and it’s harder because now it’s like, you know this was a good person," Lock said.
On Saturday at Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, Honor Guard members went over plans for the procession and the holding of the American flag – making sure everything goes according to plan for Jerving's funeral.
"No matter what we do, it’s not going to be enough to honor what this man gave – everything," said Lock. "I mean, he literally gave everything for his country, his city, to his brother and sisters in blue."
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Lock said Jerving will never be alone or forgotten.
"Right now we are really hurting. That was a good guy, his people at his other job, they loved him just like we love him," said Lock.
MPD Honor Guard prepares for Officer Peter Jerving's funeral
Lock said the funeral will also include MPD wearing a banded badge. A Flight for Life helicopter will conduct a flyover.
A visitation for Jerving will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13. A private service and a burial will follow.
FOX6 News only spent a short amount of time with the Honor Guard on Saturday. Members take their job seriously and want to protect and respect the process for every fallen officer and their family.