Protecting The Palm Beaches – October 10th, 2025 - Brought to You By Good Greek Moving And Storage
Bottom Line: This weekly feature is designed to recognize those who've paid the ultimate price in service and to serve as a reminder of what our police risk to keep us safe. Unfortunately, after progress was made in reducing line of duty deaths in 2023 – we weren’t able to sustain that progress last year. LODs rose by 17% nationally in 2024, with five additional LODs within the state of Florida. A total of 342 officers were shot in the line of duty resulting in 50 deaths – an 8% increase year over year.
- We lost 167 heroes in the line of duty in 2024 including 8 in Florida
- We’ve lost 72 heroes in the line of duty thus far this year including 5 in Florida
We’ve lost these heroes since the previous update:
- In Citrus County Florida, Deputy Andy Lahera died due to injuries sustained when he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic in May of 2023. Andy is survived by a wife and two sons.
- In Boca Raton, Senior FHP Trooper Craig Gaines (pictured) died due to injuries sustained while providing security at FAU’s Stadium for the Florida A&M game on September 9th. A Navy veteran, he’s survived by his wife and three children.
- In California, Officer Ray Barrantes was killed on patrol when his vehicle was struck by a semi-trailer. He’s survived by his wife and three children.
- In Louisiana, Deputy Charles Riley was murdered while interviewing a suspect in a sexual assault investigation. During the questioning the suspect attacked Charles, grabbed a gun and fired at two deputies. The suspect was killed with return fire. A Navy veteran, Charles is survived by his wife and two daughters.
- In Missouri, Officer Henry Franklin was murdered while serving an arrest warrant in a homicide investigation. Upon arriving at the suspect’s residence, officers were fired from inside the house. After a five-hour standoff, the suspect was found dead of a self-inflicted wound. A National Guard veteran, Henry is survived by a wife and four children.
As we reflect on those we’ve lost, please remember the families of our fallen as well. The average age of the fallen is 42; the average tour-of-duty is 12 years. In addition to losing 72 law enforcement professionals in the line-of-duty this year, there are 49 widows and 125 children who lost a parent. Remember to back the badge and spread the word. They need us just as much as we need them.