Tuesday, April 06, 1999
Butler County caisson to carry fallen heroes, officers
BY ANNA GUIDO
Enquirer Contributor
HAMILTON — A horse-drawn caisson carried President John F. Kennedy's body in his funeral procession.
The Butler County Sheriff's Office would like one, too, to honor fallen heroes and officers who have died.
“It's an honorable way to be remembered,” said Chief Deputy Rick Jones.
If the office raises $13,000, the military-style caisson could be the first in use for law enforcement officers in the United States, Chief Deputy Jones said. “We've been doing a lot of research and know of no others.”
A caisson is a horse-drawn wagon, designed during the Civil War to carry ammunition.
The sheriff's office wants to make the caisson available to Tristate law enforcement agencies at no charge. The money raised will pay for the caisson's construction and maintenance.
The sheriff's office has raised $8,000. More than 2,600 letters soliciting money were mailed to Butler, Hamilton and Clermont county businesses and law enforcement agencies.
Queen City Lodge 69 of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is among supporters. The lodge and its Cincinnati officers donated $650.
“It's a magnificent proj ect,” said Keith Fangman, FOP president. “It was an honor for us to contribute to this project, and I hope other police agencies will pitch in and help out.”
The caisson will be maintained by the Butler County sheriff's mounted patrol unit, which is looking for two horses suitable to pull the caisson.
The 25-member, volunteer mounted patrol unit, led by Capt. Joe Rich, has been invited to Arlington National Cemetery to learn proper caisson procedure and ceremony.
The Butler County sheriff's caisson is being built by a Lexington-area company that makes the units for Civil War re-enactments.
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