Numerous awards were presented on Thursday, August 18 to Galesburg area individuals and organizations that stepped up following the April 29 death of Knox County Sheriff’s Deputy Nicholas Weist, and Weist himself was honored posthumously with two awards. The awards were presented during a special meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Spoon River Valley Lodge # 427 held in Galesburg. Weist was a Lodge 427 member.
“Nick Weist was killed trying to keep his fellow citizens safe, and the residents of Knox County responded in a big way to support their fallen hero,” said FOP State Lodge President Chris Southwood. “Anyone who wonders what support for law enforcement truly looks like should come to Knox County.”
Deputy Nicholas Weist received both the FOP Valor and Life Saving Awards for his actions on April 29, 2022. Weist was attempting to stop a gun-wielding suspect who was fleeing from and firing at pursuing officers. Weist deployed his spike strips to stop the suspect’s vehicle, but after hitting the spike strips, that vehicle struck and killed Weist. The vehicle was disabled because of Weist’s actions and the suspect was caught after a brief foot pursuit. Weist’s actions to stop the high-speed pursuit prevented the suspect from injuring or killing others.
Lodge 427 Chaplain Jason Gilmore received the FOP Meritorious Service Award to recognize the outstanding peer support and grief counseling he provided to officers and family members following Weist’s death.
Several Galesburg individuals and businesses received the FOP’s Blue and Gold Award, presented for outstanding support to police officers by those who are not in law enforcement. Those receiving Blue and Gold Awards included:
Military Memories and More, Knoxville. Owner Ryan Scalf shut down his day-to-day operations to produce all memorial items for the Knox County Sheriff’s Department, Fraternal Order of Police and the Weist family.
Pristine Clean Detailing, Galesburg. Owner Jalen Harris stayed after business hours to ensure that Deputy Weist’s squad car was detailed and ready for the memorial the next morning.
Cooks & Company Floral of Galesburg. Cooks made the floral arrangement for Deputy Weist’s squad car on short notice so it would be ready for the memorial the next morning.
Sign Depot Express of Galesburg. Sign Depot replaced the missing stripes on Deputy Weist’s squad car on short notice allowing the vehicle to be detailed and ready for the memorial the next morning.
Cedar Creek Hall. Cedar Creek’s Patti Wedell closed the banquet hall during Weist’s funeral and provided the hall to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office at no expense after the funeral for a safe place for everyone to gather.
Galesburg School District # 205, Superintendent Dr. John Asplund. The Superintendent worked with C.O.P.S. and the Knox County Sheriff’s Office to coordinate the use of the Galesburg High School for Weist’s funeral.
Tres Café of Galesburg. Owner Shirley Chu organized a fundraiser on behalf of the Weist family which raised almost $18,000.
Galesburg Nissan Dealership. The business without hesitation provided support vehicles to the Dennison Funeral Home in Viola to assist in the transport of the Weist family during the visitation and funeral.
St. Mary’s Hospital of Galesburg provided the Life Flight Helicopter to do a flyover at Weist’s funeral and volunteered to provide the food for Knox County Sheriff’s personnel at Galesburg High School prior to and during the funeral.
Galesburg Hospital Ambulance Service provided support to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office during the April 29 incident and during the escort of Weist from the morgue to the funeral home. The service also used their ambulances to line the streets in honor of Weist.
The Fraternal Order of Police, founded in 1915, is the largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. With a proud tradition of officers representing officers, the FOP is the most respected and most recognized police organization in the country. The Illinois FOP, chartered in 1963, is the second largest State Lodge, proudly representing more than 34,000 active duty and retired police officers – more than 10 percent of all FOP members nationwide. Visit www.ilfop.org
***Courtesy of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police***
