Prince George’s County, MD May 1, 2017-
He was our first to die in the line of duty.
80 years ago.
The grave marker was disintegrating.
Today, we changed that.
On a day that marked the 80th anniversary of our first line of duty death, our officers and command staff donned their ceremonial best and paid tribute to Officer Edward Merson, the very first Prince Georges County police officer to make the ultimate sacrifice. They replaced his original grave marker with a new stone befitting of the sacrifice made so long ago.
The ceremony was the end of a journey that began with a visit to the Ivy Hill Cemetary in Laurel, Maryland in 2016. FOP 89 President John “Zeek” Teletchea noticed that Officer Merson’s headstone had become weathered by time and elements. We are very proud to announce that in a ceremony earlier today, Prince George’s County police and FOP 89 unveiled the brand new headstone to mark Officer Merson’s burial site.
On the morning of September 1, 1937, Officer Merson received a call for service for a car that was submerged in a pond with its passengers reportedly drowned. While en route to the scene, Officer Merson lost control of his police vehicle on Baltimore Avenue, left the roadway, and struck a tree near what is now Muirkirk Road. Officer Merson died from his injuries several hours later.
We are eternally for his service to our county and our residents.
Never forget.
