Nonprofit crafts honor bench for fallen Fort Myers police officer

Remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice, an organization traveled hours to deliver a special bench that will sit in the Fort Myers Police Department. Nonprofit corporation Saving A Hero’s Place Inc., based in Texas, dedicates time to crafting honor benches for those who serve.

The nonprofit journeyed to Fort Myers Monday to deliver an honor bench in honor of all fallen FMPD officers.

“When an officer’s gone, there’s a huge void in the roll call room,” Said Tommy Capell, president of Saving A Hero’s Place.

It’s a familiar feeling for Capell, who’s proudly worn a badge for the San Antonio Police Department since 2010.

“In the last eight years, we lost six officers in the line of duty,” Capell said.

When one of his academy classmates died, he was asked to showcase his woodworking skills in honor of Sergio Antillon.

“Our department already had eight honor chairs in a substation someone made before I came on,” Capell said.

At that time, he never imagined his work would receive national attention. However, when MIT Officer Sean Collier was shot by the Boston bombers in 2013, Capell went the extra mile.

“I couldn’t sleep, and it was all I thought about was how they were going to feel,” Capell said. “So, I reached out to them and asked if I could book a chair for them.”

Capell and company traveled to Southwest Florida to make a special delivery to FMPD.

“We see it often where we’re from, but a lot of these departments don’t see it or experience it,” Capel said. “Just seeing what it meant to them, it was huge.”

Saving A Hero’s Place presented FMPD with a bench to honor all the department’s fallen offers.

Capell and Saving A Hero’s Place has donated 79 chairs to law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The bench honor the fallen FMPD officers will be placed in the roll call room as a reminder of the fallen officers who are watching over their brothers and sisters in blue.

“I think it’s beautiful,” said Magan O’Grady. I would’ve never thought of doing that.”

O’Grady dedicates her time to Blue Line Bears, the organization that supports children of fallen officers.

“My dad is a police officer,” O’Grady said. “So being able to recognize all the police officers, especially those who lost their lives and paid the ultimate sacrifice, it’s heartbreaking yet heartwarming.”