PBR News: Honoring of our fallen hero
Trooper David DeLaittre was born in Billings on March 3rd, 1987. He was raised in Three Forks, MT and graduated from Three Forks High School in 2005. David attended college in Billings for a short time before deciding to follow his passion of law enforcement. He was accepted into the Montana Highway Patrol Academy in 2008 and began his life-long dream to follow in his father’s footsteps. David came from a long line of law enforcement; it was in his blood as his great grandfather, grandfather, father and brother in law all served.
Tragically, David DeLaittre’s time on earth came to end on December 1, 2010, when he was gunned down during a traffic stop less than a mile from his family’s home and where the current Trooper David DeLaittre Memorial Park is located today. David was 23 years old.
Shortly after David was killed, his father, Dennis started the Trooper David DeLaittre Memorial Park, in hopes that his son would not be forgotten; but instead, be forever remembered for serving his community. In addition to remembering David, the park was created to make sure that ALL Montana law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty are honored and remembered. Each fallen officer is remembered with a brick on the platform that holds David’s patrol car. Each time an officer in the US is killed, the reader board sign reads their name and the lights on the patrol car are turned on to honor the fallen officer.
In 2017, Montana lost another officer less than a mile from the Memorial Park. Broadwater County Deputy, Mason Moore, as he was viciously gunned down in the line of duty. The Memorial Park is honoring him by building the Deputy Mason Moore Pavilion with the generous proceeds from local community members, at the annual gun raffle fundraiser.
The park is a tribute to our fallen officers, as well as, the men and women that put on the uniform each day to serve every one of us and they do this with dignity and sacrifice.