Bensalem Township Police Memorial To Honor Fallen Officers

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —The township will honor two of its fallen heroes at a ceremony Monday.

The Bensalem Township Police Memorial takes place at 10 a.m. Monday at the Bensalem Township Municipal Building at 2400 Byberry Rd. for fallen police officers James Armstrong and Robert Yezzi.

"We hold it every year, but we wish we didn't have to have it," Mayor Joseph DiGirolamo told Patch Thursday. "It's pretty special and very solemn."

The mayor said the event attracts a lot of people and also that the Bensalem Township Police Department will be in full force for the ceremony along with the families of the police officers.

"We honor those folks and get to see our ladies and gentlemen in blue," the mayor said. "We pray that this never happens again."

The mayor, who oversees the police department, said the township provides police with the best equipment and training and "the best of everything for them to be safe and protect our people."

Last month, the township dedicated its K9 kennel to Armstrong, who was shot and killed investigating an armed robbery 48 years ago.

On April 15, 1975, Armstrong was shot and killed as he investigated an armed robbery. His partner, Shep, was also shot that day but he survived.

"We will never forget Jim’s sacrifice and have used his tragedy to help better protect our officers today," the mayor and Public Safety Director William McVey said in a joint statement about Armstrong, an early member of the Bensalem Police K-9 Unit.

On Aug. 12, 1980, Police Officer Robert Yezzi was struck and killed by a motor vehicle while conducting an investigation regarding a suspicious pedestrian. The individual pulled a knife at which time Yezzi backed into traffic and was struck and killed by a motor vehicle.