Thousands Attend Funeral for Slain Baton Rouge Officer
Thousands of people, including officers from agencies nationwide, attended the funeral service for Officer Matthew Gerald, 41, of the Baton Rouge Police Department, at Healing Place Church on Friday. It started around 11 a.m. and ended just before 1 p.m.
Baton Rouge (LA) Police Officer Matthew Gerald was killed in an ambush attack last Sunday. (Photo: Baton Rouge PD)
The final goodbyes have begun for the officers slain in an ambush shooting in Baton Rouge, LA, last Sunday.
Thousands of people, including officers from agencies nationwide, attended the funeral service for Officer Matthew Gerald, 41, of the Baton Rouge Police Department, at Healing Place Church on Friday. It started around 11 a.m. and ended just before 1 p.m.
Following the funeral was a procession to his final resting place at the Louisiana National Cemetery in Zachary, WAFB TV reports.
Gerald, a Marine and Army veteran, graduated from the Baton Rouge Police Academy in March 2016. According to his wife, Gerald had only just been released to work on his own on July 5. Gerald leaves behind a wife and two daughters.
Gerald was one of six officers shot during the ambush shooting and one of three killed.
The funeral for East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Garafola is scheduled for Saturday. Services for Baton Rouge Police Officer Montrell Jackson are planned for Monday.
More Patrol
Team Wendy Introduces the EXFIL Endurance Ballistic Helmet, Engineered to Reduce the Burden of Extended Wear
Team Wendy has launched its EXFIL Endurance, a new lightweight ballistic helmet engineered to deliver protection, comfort, and fit during demanding, extended operations.
Read More →
The First Responders Children’s Foundation National First Responders Day Roll Call of Heroes Ceremony Returns to Times Square, NYC
First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), in collaboration with T-Mobile, will host the Roll Call of Heroes ceremony in Times Square to commemorate National First Responders Day on Wednesday, Oct. 28. During the event, FRCF will present 18 Hero Awards.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products for Law Enforcement Professionals at IACP 2026
Streamlight will showcase its newest lights for law enforcement at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference & Expo. Featured lights will include the TLR-3 X, the PolyTac 1X, and more.
Read More →
Streamlight Portable Scene Light III Wins 2026 OH&S New Product of the Year Award
Streamlight’s Portable Scene Light III has won the 2026 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) New Product of the Year Award in the Lighting category.
Read More →
Adept Armor Introduces Two New Rifle Plates
Adept Armor has launched two new Level IV ballistic plates, the Emperor and the Archon Mark 2, which brings Adept Armor’s new Quatroid ceramic to the high-threat, performance-value center of the range at 5.2 pounds.
Read More →
POLICE Product Test: Benchmade Bailout
The Benchmade Bailout is a slim, lightweight carry knife with a deep-ride pocket clip and comes in a variety of blade steels and scales. Here is a detailed review of the Taiga Green Bailout, released earlier this year.
Read More →
NLEOMF Announces July 2026 Officer of the Month
NLEOMF honored a Michigan deputy sheriff as the July 2026 Officer of the Month for rescuing a trapped driver from a burning vehicle following a Fourth of July crash.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products at National Safety Council’s Safety Congress & Expo 2026
Streamlight will showcase its latest lights, including the Portable Scene Light III and the LiteBox 1Million, at the 2026 National Safety Council (NSC) Safety Congress & Expo.
Read More →
The 2027 World Police & Fire Games Set for Perth, Australia
The 2027 World Police & Fire Games (WPFG) will take place in Perth, Western Australia, from Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 21, 2027.
Read More →
5.11 Partners with National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to Support #ForThe343
5.11 has joined the nationwide movement honoring the 343 New York City Fire Department firefighters lost on Sept. 11, 2001.
Read More →