Two local police stations are participating in the 9th annual Fallen Officer Blood Drive with a friendly competition. The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Michigan Police Department in an effort to supply blood during a critical time in the year and raise awareness about the dangers police face every day on the job.
A wager between Michigan City Police Chief Mark Swistek and La Porte County Sheriff John Boyd has been made. If the Michigan City site collects the most donations, Sheriff Boyd will buy Chief Swistek lunch at the Indiana Deli in La Porte. Should the La Porte site receive the most donations, Chief Swistek will buy Sheriff Boyd lunch at Michigan City’s Carlson’s Drive In.
Back in 2001, in a quest to honor her husband, Morgan County Sheriff’s Sergeant Dan Starnes, as well as all fallen police officers, Janice Starnes began the Fallen Officer Blood Drive following the fatal shooting of her spouse in the line of duty. Sgt. Starnes is among the 414 Police Officers in the state of Indiana that have died while serving their communities. The drive went state wide in 2007 and there is now at least one blood drive held in each of Indiana’s 92 counties. To date there have been more than 38,000 units of blood donated.
The blood drive in Michigan City will be held on Tuesday June 16th from 10 am until 4 pm in the basement of City Hall which is located at 100 E Michigan Blvd. The blood drive in La Porte will be held on Friday June 19th from from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm in the assembly rooms of the La Porte County Complex located at 809 State Street which is directly behind the courthouse. You can make an appointment by calling La Porte County’s Human Resources Director, Barb Mossman, at 219-326-6808 (ext 2409) however, walk-ins are also welcome.
