The one-year anniversary of the deaths of police officers from Chetek and Cameron was marked Monday, as dozens from the community turned out for the unveiling of the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial outside the Chetek Police Department.
Emily Breidenbach, 32, of the Chetek Police Department and Hunter Scheel, 23, of the Cameron Police Department both died in the line of duty on April 8, 2023.
“I wish we didn't have to gather here. I wish she was still with us,” Chetek mayor Jeff Martin said during the unveiling. “But we're just so grateful for her service to our city and all the ways that she did so, from dancing with the kids to making our streets safer. We're just so grateful.”
A girl hugs the Emily Breidenbach memorial stone, which was revealed Monday on front of the Chetek Police Department.
Breidenbach and Scheel were killed over Easter weekend last year when the pair pulled over a vehicle driven by Glenn Douglas Perry, 50, after they received a report of “concerning behavior,” the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in April 2023.
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Gunfire ensued during the stop, leaving Breidenbach and Scheel dead. Perry was taken to a hospital and later died. The incident took place on County Highway SS — the road between Cameron and Chetek — which has since been designated the Breidenbach-Scheel Memorial Highway.
Breidenbach and Scheel were honored as heroes by the thousands who attended their funeral at Cameron High School on April 15, 2023.
Emily Breidenbach’s memorial was revealed Monday by her brother, Benjamin Breidenbach and mother, Susan Myers outside the Chetek Police Department.
'We still cry'
Chetek police chief Ron Ambrozaitis said Monday that Breidenbach is greatly missed.
"April 8, 2023, 3:39 p.m. changed all our lives. This whole city. The family. This department. All her friends," Ambrozaitis said. "We miss her a lot. There isn't a day that goes by that we don't talk about Emily. It's a lot more laughs now than it was a year ago, but we still cry — trust me. Em is severely missed every day."
Rob Troutman, lead pastor of Northside Christian Fellowship, led the crowd gathered outside of the police station in prayer.
“The world right now wants us to believe that law enforcement — that communities don't love them, don't support them. And it's just so not true,” Troutman said. “Thank you so much just for people's hearts to want to come out here. It's an honor remembering the life, the courage, the passion, the bravery of Emily. Emily loved this job. She loved acts that would basically help protect this community. Just thank you so much for that spirit you gave her.”
The Chetek Police Department’s Facebook page shared Sunday that the past year has been “extremely difficult for Emily and Hunter's families, our police departments and our communities.”
Law enforcement attend the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial unveiling Monday outside the Chetek Police Department.
The department said it has received overwhelming and remarkable support throughout the year and offered a special note of thanks to the Wisconsin Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors, Light the Way, Wisconsin LEDR Team, the Chetek City Council, Barron County Law Enforcement Foundation, Steaks for Sheepdogs and the Invisible Wounds Project.
The Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial was completely funded through donations, Ambrozaitis said. Donations will also help fund a trip to Washington to honor the two fallen officers.
“Nine months ago, I had an idea of what I wanted the memorial to look like. I didn't want it to look like a gravesite,” Ambrozaitis said. “I hope you all like it. It's gonna be here for a very, very long time — long after I'm gone from here. It will represent her and help this community not to forget Emily.”
In May, Breidenbach and Scheel’s names will be added to the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial in Madison. Both names will also be added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., during Police Week.
Cameron police plan to erect a memorial for Scheel in the future.
Many people showed their respects April 10, 2023 for Cameron and Chetek police officers killed in the line of duty as they were escorted via a law enforcement procession from the medical examiner’s office in Ramsey County to their respective funeral homes.
Breidenbach had been an officer at the Chetek Police Department for over four years and was the handler for the Chetek police therapy dog, K9 Officer Grizz, at the time of her death.
She was born in Portage in 1990 to Robert Breidenbach and Susan M. (Breidenbach) Myers. After graduation from Merrill High School in 2009, Emily attended Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, where she graduated in 2011. She continued her studies at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in crisis/emergency/disaster management and human development in 2013. She attended Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville completing the academy in 2015, according to her obituary.
She began her career with the Stoughton Police Department in 2015. In 2019, she accepted a police officer position with the Chetek Police Department, where she was employed at the time of her death.
She was engaged in March 2023 to be married to Shane Scribner.
Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial unveiled outside the Chetek Police Department
A memorial was erected for Emily Breidenbach outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek one year after she and a fellow police officer were killed in the line of duty in Barron County.
Family and friends of Officer Emily Breidenbach gather Monday afternoon at the unveiling of her memorial outside the Chetek Police Department one year after she was killed in the line of duty.
Family and friends of Emily Breidenbach gathered Monday afternoon at the unveiling of her memorial outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
Law enforcement attend the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial unveiling Monday outside the Chetek Police Department.
Family and friends of Emily Breidenbach gathered Monday afternoon at the unveiling of her memorial outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
Chetek police chief Ron Ambrozaitis speaks Monday afternoon at the unveiling of the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
Emily Breidenbach’s memorial was revealed Monday by her brother, Benjamin Breidenbach and mother, Susan Myers outside the Chetek Police Department.
Emily Breidenbach’s memorial was revealed Monday by her brother, Benjamin Breidenbach and mother, Susan Myers outside the Chetek Police Department.
Lead pastor of Northside Christian Fellowship Rob Troutman leads a crowd in prayer Monday during the unveiling of the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
City of Chetek mayor Jeff Martin speaks Monday about memories of Emily Breidenbach, 32, who died in the line of duty while working for the Chetek Police Department in 2023.
From left to right: half-brother, Michael Breidenbach, father, Robert Breidenbach, mother, Susan Myers, brother, Benjamin Breidenbach stand in front of the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial outside the Chetek Police Department on Monday.
The community gathered Monday for the unveiling of the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
Flags fly over the Officer Emily Breidenbach Memorial Monday outside the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
A girl hugs the Emily Breidenbach memorial stone, which was revealed Monday on front of the Chetek Police Department.
A mural on the side of the Chetek Police Department, located at 101 Moore Street in Chetek.
