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SLAIN HERO HONORED

June 13, 2008 12:15 am

Husband. Son. Friend. Servant. Hero.

Todd Bahr was all of those things, said those who spoke at his funeral yesterday at Spotswood Baptist Church on Lafayette Boulevard.

The funeral for Bahr, a Fredericksburg police officer who was killed Friday while chasing an armed suspect in the dark of night, drew hundreds of law enforcement officers from around the state and beyond.

With Bahr's fellow officers backing him at the front of the church, city Police Chief David Nye told those at the service that Bahr exemplified the qualities that make a great police officer.

Nye said people would go out of their way to praise the professionalism and empathy Bahr brought to everyday police work like handling a call from a mother whose daughter had run away, or helping a paramedic when a tree fell on her ambulance during a storm.

"I am proud that he chose Fredericksburg as a department to work for," Nye said.

He gave credit to his officers, many of whom befriended Bahr before he joined the force, for showing him Fredericksburg would be a good place to work.

"We just can't imagine the depth of your pain, but we thank you for sharing Todd with us," Nye said to Bahr's wife, Stefanie, his parents, Kathy and Delbert, and the rest of his family.

"Todd will always be my hero," Nye said. "Both for the way he lived his life and his willingness to sacrifice it for another."

That message was echoed in remarks by Sgt. Bill Hallam, Bahr's immediate supervisor.

"What Todd did that night, moving toward the sound of gunfire and not away from it, will forever inspire others," Hallam said.

"Please focus on living with the values Todd demonstrated so well that dark night."

Scott Brady, Bahr's best friend for the past 16 years, told the audience about his reaction when Bahr told him a few years ago that he wanted to join the police force.

"I wasn't very happy about it because I knew what could happen," Brady said.

But he said he respected the strong calling Bahr felt.

"Saturday was one of the hardest days of my life," Brady said. "But I realized that day that Todd Bahr was my hero. Heroes are not comic-book characters. They are the people who risk their lives watching our streets and defending our country."

Brady then described the fun-loving ways of his best friend, who loved chocolate milk and his dog, Chaos, and who was apt to pepper his conversation with phrases like, "Right on," and call things he liked, "Da bomb."

Bahr owned his own business, but, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he felt a calling to serve his community, said Chaplain Ron Thayer, who led yesterday's service.

He first thought about joining the military, but he was too old. He went through police training as an auxiliary, or volunteer and, at age 39, was sworn in as a full-time officer.

"Todd loved what he did," Thayer said. "He truly was a servant. It was not a job."

Emotions ran just as high at Sunset Memorial Gardens on U.S. 1, where hundreds of law-enforcement officers and others gathered for a service after the funeral.

That ceremony featured a 21-gun salute, a double rendition of taps and a helicopter flyover.

Perhaps the most teary-eyed moment came when a dispatcher began calling for Bahr's retired number 337 over a loudspeaker and ended with "last call for Unit 337."

Officer Ted Hartung, who attended the police academy with Bahr, said his friend would have been "overwhelmed and embarrassed" by the attention he got yesterday.

Hartung and Cpl. Bill Hyer, one of Bahr's supervisors, described Bahr as a low-key officer who didn't seek a lot of attention or credit.

"He just loved coming to work, and he loved being a cop," Hyer said. "Our department and this community has suffered a great loss, and I was honored to serve with him."

Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com