Slain Freemansburg Officer Receives Nathan Ogden Award

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Jennifer Lasso

Last year, 173 police officers throughout the United States were killed in the line of duty. Four were from Pennsylvania. One of them, Robert Lasso, was a Freemansburg police officer responding to a disturbance call. He left behind a wife, Jennifer, and children Frankie, age 5, and Rose, age 7. On June 6, the Northampton County Chiefs of Police Association named him the recipient of their 12th annual Nathan Ogden award.

Northampton County Deputy Sheriff Nathan Ogden was the first police officer in this country to make the ultimate sacrifice for his community. In 1771, while attempting to execute an arrest warrant in Hanover Township, he was killed. In his memory, the Northampton County Chiefs of Police Association annually honors a police officer who distinguishes himself and his profession.

The Nathan Ogden award

Sheriff Randall Miller, who made this year's presentation during a Chiefs' meeting at the 911 Communications Center on the Gracedale campus, called it the "fastest decision" they've ever made. He stated that Lasso, a 9-year veteran, "loved the job" and "served the citizens of Freemansburg honorably until his death."

Lasso's killer was convicted of first-degree murder last month. He's been sentenced to death.

Lasso's widow, Jennifer, accepted the award on behalf of her deceased husband. She smiled when she saw the statue of a police officer holding a child.  It reminded her of her husband's own love for children.

The presentation this year, and for the last twelve years, is made during National Police Week. William Hillanbrand, a Northampton County Emergency Management Planner and former Deputy Sheriff, pays for the trophy every year out of his own pocket. His father and grandfather were cops.