A bill to honor a slain reserve police officer would allow scholarships to be available to the children of all reserve officers and volunteer firefighters.
House Bill 4120 had its first hearing on Monday. According to the Oregonian, Bill Miller, a Umatilla County sheriff’s reserve and president of the Oregon Association of Reserve Peace Officers, said children of the state’s 1,300 reserve officers are excluded from the Oregon Student Access Commission’s Deceased or Disabled Public Safety Officer Grant Program.
“Reserve Officer Robert Libke was killed while answering a call in Oregon City,” Miller said. “Officer Libke was performing the same duties as a regular police officer, protecting the public from harm.”
The bill would simply make the definitions for police reserve and volunteer firefighters the same as paid staff.
Libke, 41, was fatally wounded Nov. 3, while investigating a report of an armed man lurking around a house fire. Lawrence Cambra, 88, who set the fire, shot Libke and then killed himself. Libke died in the hospital the next day, leaving a pregnant wife.
For the full story, visit the OregonLive website.
