MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Police Department came together to remember Officer Peter Jerving, who lost his life while serving in the line of duty earlier this year.
On Saturday, the Milwaukee Police Department and the community gathered at the District 4 police station to honor his memory with a pancake fundraiser. They raised funds to support officers that are attending Police Week in Washington, D.C., to honor Jerving.
His parents shared a deep sense of pride in their son.
“I couldn’t be any prouder,” said his father, Doug Jerving.
On Feb. 7, Jerving was fatally shot while trying to arrest a strong-armed robbery suspect in Milwaukee. He was 37 years old.
“He was going to be the best damn cop there was,” Doug Jerving said.
His parents said he wanted to make the city safer.
“He wanted to help people and catch bad guys,” said his mother, Patty Jerving.
Jerving’s parents said he wanted to be an officer since he was a boy, so he could give back to the community where he grew up.
“He wanted to be able to touch base with those kids out there on the streets that didn’t think that they could make it,” said Doug Jerving.
Jerving was on the force for approximately five years. Sgt. Paul Graczyk said he was ready to become a field training officer when this tragedy occurred.
“He really loved this job,” Graczyk said. “He loved this community. He grew up in District 4, down the street. This is where he spent his childhood, and he was brought back here to make it a better place, and he really did try.”
Before 2018, the City of Milwaukee went 22 years without losing officers in the line of duty. Jerving is the fifth line-of-duty death in the city since 2018.
“Anybody who puts on this badge understands any day we come into work could be the last day we come into work,” Graczyk said. “It’s something that we’re taught in the academy. It’s something that is driven home to us.”
Being one of seven kids, Jerving’s parents remember their son as tough and dedicated.
“He just was a really tough kid and after this happened, the Lord had prepared him to be a tough police officer,” said Patty Jerving.
All the funds from Saturday’s pancake feast are going toward supporting the Milwaukee officers who will make the journey to Police Week in Washington, D.C. in May. It’s an event that will memorialize and pay tribute to all law enforcement officers killed on the job this year across the country.
“I’m honored,” said Doug Jerving. “I am always honored by everything the police do for us, but also, the two of us want to do everything we can for the police department. This is our family.”
Fellow officers say they will now carry on Jerving’s legacy and remember his love for Milwaukee and its people.