In Washington County, police honor fallen officers

Dressed in customary law enforcement colors of blue, white, brown and green, they stood at least 100 strong in solemn ranks to show respect for fellow police officers killed in the line of duty. The ceremony Wednesday at Historic Courthouse in Stillwater, led by Washington County Sheriff Bill Hutton, left no doubt of the peril that law enforcement officers face daily on their jobs. A parade of officers filed to the podium to read names of 120 officers, including Minnesotans, killed nationwide in 2012. Also killed in the line of duty were 18 canines.