Sheriff Lucas makes donation to Call to Duty Memorial on last day as sheriff

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Sheriff Earnell Lucas has completed his last official duty as the Milwaukee County Sheriff Sunday, Oct. 23 -- one that honors officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

As Sheriff Lucas winds down his time with the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, he's giving a gift to honor fallen deputies here at the Milwaukee County Deputy Sheriff's Memorial Garden's Call to Duty Memorial.

Sheriff Lucas says a few weeks ago a former Milwaukee County Sheriff asked if he could do something to help out the Memorial Garden.

"I began the process of seeing what we could do to help the memorial committee and everyone out to restore this beautiful memorial," said Sheriff Lucas.

Bricks placed around the statue you see here had fallen into disarray from water running off the roof of the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy Training Facility.

That's why Sheriff Lucas says he's giving this $10,000 check to the non-profit, non-taxpayer funded committee that maintains the memorial.

That check will pay for a major portion of the $15-$20,000 needed to restore the memorial.

"Continue the legacy of those members who have made the ultimate sacrifice," said Sheriff Lucas to Mike Tromp, the president of the Deputy Memorial Committee. "And to be a calling to those to serve in this noble profession of law enforcement […] I'm so honored to do this my friend."

Tromp says this will help pay for new decorative concrete that will weather the elements better, and to relocate the memorial bricks to a nearby section of the memorial.

Tromp worked with four of the fallen officers honored on the memorial.

"They were all amazing people to work with, I feel very blessed and called to be able to do this work," said Tromp.

Sheriff Lucas says as he transitions to the private sector with financial services company "Fiserv", he thanked the people who maintain the memorial, and those he worked with throughout his career.

"To always remember and never forget the service and the sacrifice of those 13 members who are forever etched on this memorial," said Sheriff Lucas.

Sheriff's deputies tell me they're expecting that concrete to go in here this week. The bricks will be put in in November.