Published: July 28, 2006 11:09 pm      

JURON REMEMBERED: Friends take up fallen officer's cause

TOWN OF LOCKPORT — Sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Juron used to wear the badge of fallen colleague Deputy Jeffrey Incardona around his neck. It was a reminder of his friend, killed in the line of duty.

Today, eight of Juron’s friends wear a medallion around their necks — to remember a second lost cop.

It sent shock waves through the sheriff’s department and the community when Juron, a well-liked and highly-respected law enforcement leader, took his own life during a routine shift last winter. It has left his colleagues with a void, but has also inspired them to take up his cause — helping other lawmen in need.

The department and four of Juron’s closest friends are planning a benefit for his two surviving children. They’re also promoting a program Juron championed, dubbed “Catch a Falling Star.”

The falling star program is offered to all officers and supervisors at the sheriff’s department, lending support and counseling to help law enforcers manage the complex emotions resulting from a traumatic line of work.

Sheriff Thomas Beilein, who delivered a eulogy at Juron’s funeral, said he still wonders what might have happened had he known of Juron’s inner struggles, even a few minutes before his death.

“The day before, I walked by that office and said hello to Jeff,” he said. “I walked by the next day, at the same time, probably within 20 minutes of him shooting himself, and thought about going in and said, ‘Nah, I’m going home, I’m getting out of here.’ I didn’t even make it home when the phone call came to me.”

The Catch a Falling Star program also aims to help high ranking officers recognize the signs of an officer in trouble. Cindy Goss, the president of Catch a Falling Star, said it can be challenging to get an officer to admit he needs help handling the emotional side of the job.

“We’re letting them know (that) we’re brothers, sisters, people,” Goss said. “We’re supporting them and it’s OK to ask for help when you need it. And this stigma attached with asking for help, we’re trying to work on minimizing (it).”

Even now, Capt. Steven Preisch, one of Juron’s closest friends, acknowledges that it can be a difficult subject for officers to discuss.

“Disclosure is difficult for law enforcement, first responders, because we’re the ones people look to when they need help,” Preisch said. “It’s unsettling for your wives, your spouses to see you shaken. Disclosing that is a difficult thing.”

Preisch and Juron served together on the department’s Emergency Response Team together. The bond they forged on the department’s equivalent of a SWAT team was a deep one.

“One of my jobs was to ram the door, to be the first person in,” Preisch said. “Jeff quite often was the very first person behind me. When you’re going through a door with no firearm, not knowing what’s waiting for you on the other side, you have your life in that person’s hands as Jeff and I quite often did. ... Jeff just meant that much to me.”

Ultimately, no one will know why Juron took his own life, even as he was actively working to support and promote Goss’ program. Beilein said it was probably a combination of things.

“I know that the Incardona vehicle accident weighed very heavily on Jeff,” he said. “I know within weeks of the suicide he handled a fatal accident on Lockport Road where a child was killed. That can be very traumatic.”

A benefit is being planned to support Juron’s children because, according to Preisch, they want to help even after the family has parted ways with the department.

“You never know what’s going to happen down the road,” Preisch said. “It’s something that we need to do, maybe something to help us achieve a little closure in this.”

The department has set up a trust fund at First Niagara Bank to support the Juron’s two daughters. The event will be held at the 5 p.m. Aug. 16 at the Bond Lake Winter House in Lewiston. There will be a $20 donation charged and those in attendance will have the opportunity to enter raffles and bid on sports memorabilia, with all proceeds going to benefit the family.

Contact Eric DuVall at 439-9222, Ext. 6251.