Bridgeport Police Officer Austen Zorick made a memory he will never forget on Tuesday.

 

It will be a good memory even if it also one that he or anybody else wishes didn’t have to occur.

 

Zorick was not just present at Tuesday’s Fallen Officer Memorial Ceremony at the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services campus. He had the honor of being one of the officers to participate in the roll call for the state police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

 

“That was the first one that I have been to and I have to be honest, I was honored to be in attendance for it,” Zorick said. “It’s an event that all officers wish didn’t have to happen but in the same breath it’s one necessary to recognize and honor officers that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

 

“May their names and stories live on and may God bless their families.”

 

He admitted he was a little nervous when it was time for the roll call.

 

“I didn’t want to disrespect any of those names I was reading,” Zorick said. “I wanted to make sure I got their names right. But it was double the honor. To be as young as I am and get to do something like that and be at that service in that nature was very humbling.”

 

Zorick has been with the Bridgeport Police Department for a little more than two and a half years.

 

He was hired right out of the State Police Academy.

 

Zorick is a graduate of Robert C. Byrd where he was also a standout distance runner for the Eagles’ cross country and track and field teams. He earned a scholarship to Wheeling Jesuit (now Wheeling University) where he ran for four years and graduated with a major in psychology and a minor in criminal justice.

 

“I got to learn from former law enforcement and current magistrates who were adjunct professors. I got interested in this field from there.”

 

In addition to being a vital part of the city’s police force, Zorick has also somewhat remained involved in distance running as an assistant coach for Bridgeport High School’s cross country and track and field teams, both of which his younger brother, Troy Zorick, is a member of.

 

“I joined the staff this year and honestly that’s something I always wanted to do,” he said. “As funny as it might sound, I appreciate it a lot more now, being there to help with the younger kids and see how they progress and help them train.”

 

Editor's Note: Photos of Zorick from Tuesday's Fallen Officer Memorial Ceremony.