Cleveland Police Criticized for Excluding Slain Officer from Veterans Day Post
The grieving mother of a Cleveland police officer killed in the line of duty is questioning why her son was not acknowledged in a Veterans Day social media post by the Cleveland Police Department.
Officer Jamieson Ritter, who was shot and killed in July while responding to a call, had served in the Army National Guard, yet his name and image were absent from the tribute.
The department’s post expressed gratitude to veterans, highlighting some of its current officers who have served in the military. It also linked to the Cleveland Police Museum, which honors officers who died in World War I and II and includes mentions of those killed in the line of duty in the 1920s and 1930s.
Karen Ritter, Officer Ritter’s mother, expressed her disappointment publicly. “There may have been a few missing officers. Definitely Jamieson Ritter. I would like to thank Jamieson for his service and sacrifice,” she commented on the post.
Officer Ritter was fatally shot on July 4 while attempting to arrest Delawnte Hardy, a suspect wanted for shooting his grandmother. A Syracuse University graduate and second lieutenant in the Army National Guard, Ritter served with the 134th Field Artillery Regiment and deployed to Syria in 2022. He returned to join the Cleveland Police Department in 2023.
When asked about Ritter’s omission, the department issued a statement saying, “The Division thanks all Veterans past and present for their efforts. In the post, we recognized some of our current officers who have served in the military.”
The omission drew comments from others as well, with one person posting, “Thinking of Officer Jamieson Ritter who was killed in the line of duty. He served his country too. Rest in peace.”
Another noted it was “sad” that Ritter’s name and picture were left out, while his mother described the oversight as “hurtful and disappointing.”
