MANASSAS — The Manassas Rotary honored the city’s police force on Wednesday as part of National Police Week.
Manassas police officers chose their fellow co-worker, Officer Marcus Hyde, 29, as their Officer of the Year. City police Chief Douglas Keen recognized Hyde for his service over the past year, knocking down a door to save the life of a choking woman, applying tourniquets to bleeding victims, and helping to run down a suspect while jogging on his time off.
“This is the only place I applied, it is the only place I wanted to work,” Hyde told the Rotarians gathered at the Center for the Arts at the Candy Factory in Downtown Manassas.
Hyde is a graduate of The College of William and Mary, and Osbourn High School in Manassas. He and his wife of two years are currently expecting their first child.
Mayor Hal Parrish recognized Chief Keen for leading a police department he’s served since 1989. Keen took an opportunity during National Police Week to remind the Rotarians that there are 21,541 names on a wall at the National Police Officers Memorial noting the number of police officers killed in the line of duty. A total of 129 more names were added just last year, he said.
He also called the attention to the fact that more retired police officers are taking their own lives, with the average retired officer living until age 66, about 10 years shy of the national average life expectancy.
“Suicide was a well-kept secret that no one wanted to talk about,” said Keen.
Now that it’s out in the open, more retired officers are seeking help for depression and PTSD, he said.
“Take the time to thank someone in uniform for their service and don’t wait for a tragedy to do it,” he added.
The event concluded with a $2,000 donation from the Rotary Club to the Manassas City Police Association.
