CLEVELAND — Still in the throes of grief, the Euclid Police Department is banding together to honor the memory of fallen officer, Jacob Derbin.
“We don’t want his name to get lost to the archives, to the ages,” Lt. Joel Barron, who worked alongside Derbin, said.
One way the department is preserving Derbin’s memory is with a blood drive, a small sacrifice for the man who made the ultimate one for his community.
Barron said the 23-year-old had a servant’s heart — first serving in the Army National Guard before becoming an officer.
“These folks that are here are giving of themselves to help not just this community but the greater Cleveland area,” he said. “Jacob, he gave his life.”
Derbin’s uncle, Cuyahoga Heights Police Officer Frank Trusso, said they come from a big Italian family, many of whom are also cops.
He said Derbin was known to hug everyone at a family event, making sure to go to his grandmother first.
Derbin was to get married to his fiancé just a few weeks from now.
“It’s a great loss to law enforcement. It’s an even greater loss to our family,” Trusso said. “You know, cause he was just great to be around. He’d always make you laugh.”
He said it meant a lot to see so many people take the time out of their day to do this for his nephew.
“This is touching. I mean, this is, this is making me feel proud to be a police officer,” Trusso said. “And just for them to come out, and for the police department and the hospital to get together and do this for Jacob through the Red Cross in his name, in honor of his name. You know, it’s just very touching.”
While Barron said time and community support is helping to heal the department’s wound’s, there’s still a lot of pain.
“It's just kind of punching a like punching a hole in your heart and your soul,” Barron said. “You know, somebody saw you on a fairly regular basis. It's just gone.”
Trusso said even if you couldn’t donate, there are ways to help support the department through this difficult time.
“Just to say, 'hey, thank you for your service, be safe out there,'” Trusso said. “It goes a long way. You know, it means a lot to us. And I know it does for so many other officers.”
A Red Cross spokesperson said this event brought in more than double their average blood drive donations — continuing Derbin’s legacy of serving the community anyway they can.
Officer Derbin would have marked one year of service with the Euclid police department late this month.