San Jose police hold ceremony for officers killed in the line of duty

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- In San Jose, police officers came together to remember their peers who were killed in the line of duty.

The solemn memorial was an opportunity to display a sense of strength in the midst of tragedy.
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"We appreciate them, pray for them, want them to come home at the end of their shifts," said Tom Katherman, the father of San Jose police officer Michael Katherman.

VIDEO: Click here for all eulogy videos from Officer Katherman's memorial service

Today's fallen officer memorial was meaningful for Katherman, whose son Michael is the most recent San Jose police officer killed in the line of duty.



"Mike loved what he did. He loved the people he worked with, and he loved his family, and he was passionate about all of it," said Katherman.
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Officer Katherman died last June after being struck on his motorcycle by another vehicle.
In a strange twist the driver involved in that crash previously met the officer at a "coffee with a cop" event just two weeks prior to the tragedy.

PHOTOS: Memorial honoring fallen SJPD Officer Michael Katherman


It's a coincidence not lost on Katherman's family."We told him that we understood his pain, and that we hold no ill will towards him, and we forgive him and we extend the grace to him and his family, the exact same way that God extends my family Grace," said Katherman.
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"It never gets easier. We're here for the families, and the families are here for us, because we lean on each other," said San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia.

Click here for full coverage on the death of veteran San Jose Officer Michael Katherman.