Eric Long and his wife Kathy are driving five hours from Eldridge today, to Minnesota on a mission they’d rather not have to fulfill.
They are bringing large, handcrafted metal badges (made at Premier Metal Art, 1018 E. Iowa St., Eldridge), to the police and fire departments in Burnsville, outside Minneapolis, to honor two officers and a firefighter recently killed in the line of duty.
Two police officers and a firefighter who responded to a domestic situation at a suburban Minneapolis home were killed early Sunday during a standoff by a heavily armed man who shot at police from the home where seven children were also inside.
The suspect is dead, and another police officer was injured in the shooting in a neighborhood in Burnsville, Minn., a city of about 64,000 people near Minneapolis.
Eric and Kathy Long founded Metal4Valor, which became a registered nonprofit organization in December 2023. They have made 32 badges made for the families of fallen first responders (including police, fire, EMS and K-9s) in 26 states, including five of them this past weekend.
Eric formerly worked for a sheriff’s department in southwest Iowa, and was in the Eldridge Police Explorers group in the late ’80s as a high school student. They made their first custom-fabricated metal badge in late 2021, when their now 24-year-old son who’s a Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy graduated from police academy.
“Kathy — her and her team make the incredible pieces that get sent all around,” Eric said Wednesday morning at a press conference at the Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department. “She’s the driving force behind it as well.”
They customize the badges with the individual names and badge numbers. Premier Metal (where Kathy works) is owned by Keith and Trish Sheldon.
“We saw how many police officers and firefighters passed away in the line of duty each year,” Eric said. “It’s really driven home the reality of the sheer number of first responders losing their lives in the line of duty.”
“An epidemic”
“This is almost an epidemic on a daily basis,” he said. “We have five pieces that are going to be delivered today, two of them shipped out tonight to Tennessee and Virginia.”
“It was almost overwhelming to realize how often this was happening. You don’t hear about it every day and when you are seeing that happen, it’s very humbling,” Kathy Long said. “You know this is happening every single day.”
“People aren’t aware and this is one way to get more people to be aware,” Kathy said. “The family has a piece that honors their loved one.”
They wanted to recognize all first responders (not just law enforcement), since “they’re all giving the ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “We just did one for a volunteer firefighter who lost his life. That’s huge to me — that’s someone who’s volunteering their time.”
Premier usually takes 7-10 days to make each badge, following notification of a death. Kathy said they try to respond on a timely basis, to get them out quickly, and many are displayed by families at the hero’s funeral.
“Each one is different, is handmade. It is neat to see all the different ones, how they come out, how we make them, to exactly what they wear,” she said. “That’s our challenge. We enjoy doing it. It’s unfortunate the reason why we’re doing ’em.”
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and President Joe Biden reached out to the family of fallen Loudoun County firefighter Trevor Brown, offering their heartfelt sympathies.
The 45-year-old volunteer firefighter died last Friday (Feb. 16, 2024) while investigating a 500-gallon underground propane tank that was found to be leaking before it exploded. Ten other firefighters and two residents of the Sterling home were hurt.
“The sole mission of Metal4Valor is to honor first responders who make the ultimate sacrifice protecting their communities across this nation,” Paul Sikorski, retired Davenport police chief and board member of Metal4Valor, said Wednesday. “Supporting the fallen, as well as supporting, loving and embracing grieving family members is done so symbolically using these badges, all made here in Eldridge.”
“We will never take for granted the sacrifices our brave men and women first responders make for us,” Sikorski said. Several members of area law enforcement attended Wednesday’s event, including from Scott County Sheriff’s Department, and police departments from Eldridge, Bettendorf, Buffalo, and Walcott.
Metal4Valor board members include retired first responders, active first responders, family members, and local business and community members.
Anniversary of K.C. badge
Eric Long recalled that they delivered two badges to the Kansas City Police Department a year ago, on Feb. 21, 2023, for a police officer and his K-9 killed in a traffic accident. On Feb. 15, 2023, a Kansas City officer and his K-9 partner died in a crash that also killed a pedestrian.
Last year, they met the family of the fallen Kansas City officer, spending about an hour with them.
The Longs worked with retired Bettendorf Police Officer Bruce Schwartz to form Metal4Valor as a nonprofit, with its own board. Premier made its first memorial badge for the Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist, in April 2022.
The 34-year-old Knox County deputy was killed in the line of duty April 29, 2022, on U.S. 150 in Henry County, on his way home from a shift. Kathy Long said the badge they did for him was displayed by his family at the funeral.
The number of law enforcement professionals nationwide who died in the line of duty in 2023 decreased 39% compared to the previous year, according to preliminary data provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), the leading authority on officer fatalities.
As reported in their official 2023 End-of-Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report, the NLEOMF data shows that 136 federal, state, county, municipal, military, tribal, and campus officers died in the line of duty in 2023, representing a 39% drop compared to the 224 officers who died in the line of duty in 2022.
Metal4Valor has made badges for an officer in Algona, Iowa (killed Sept. 13, 2023), and a fallen K-9 in Des Moines. Eric said their work has become a passion and a mission.
“It’s not just us — it’s every one of our board members,” he said. “Everyone is taking turns delivering.”
One note of appreciation came this past December, from a sibling of Preble County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Deputy Josh Hamilton, 34, who was killed in a car crash.
“I am just messaging to let you know how much we appreciate the absolutely beautiful star badge that you sent to us after the passing of my brother deputy Josh Hamilton! This will be a keepsake for his daughter Mikaelah for the rest of her life!” the Metal4Valor website says. “My parents & I greatly appreciate the love and support, no words can express what the star badge means to us!”
Metal4Valor is seeking donations to support the cause, and they’re hosting a trivia night March 9th at Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds’ Keppy Hall in Davenport. To donate, visit their website HERE.
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