It’s been nearly 10 years since Cleveland Police Patrol Officer Derek Owens was shot in the line of duty while investigating complaints of neighborhood loitering and drug sales on vacant land in his patrol area. Officer Owens sadly died of his injuries the following day.
Police Officers and citizens from the 4th Neighborhood Police District – in partnership with the Saint Luke’s Foundation, Buckeye Shaker Square Development Corporation, the Cleveland Police Foundation and others, with the support of Councilman Kenneth Johnson – plan to honor Owens’ memory and all officers who died in the line of duty with the creation of the Derek Owens Memorial Park. The park will be created on the three vacant lots encompassing the site on Parkview Avenue where Owens was shot.
The Cuyahoga Land Bank conveyed one of the properties on Parkview Avenue to the Cleveland Police Foundation, which assembled the land needed to make the memorial a reality.
The goal of the park is to create an inclusive neighborhood park that will benefit the community by providing safe play space for kids and community greenspace. Plans are for the park to be completed by the end of 2018 and will serve as a testament to Officer Owens’ life, heroism and legacy.