On Monday afternoon 6/29/2020, the City of Beacon issued the following statement from Mayor Lee Kyriacou regarding the memorial bench of Dustin James. You can read more about his memorial here.

“Upon consulting with and the full agreement of the family involved, I want to announce that a bench in memory of Dustin James will be permanently located in front of the entrance to the Beacon Police Station.”

“I want to thank the family involved for their gracious accommodation.”

“I note that Dustin James was a fine human being and a fine police officer. I attended his memorial service. A portion of the memorial bench reflects his career, of which some members of the community may feel is inappropriate in front of the city’s courthouse and municipal entrance. It is more fitting and appropriate for this memorial bench to be placed in front of the entrance to the city’s police station. As this is an administrative matter, this decision is made by the mayor.”

“As with most decisions in a democratic pluralistic society, where people have diverse opinions, this may not make anyone fully satisfied, let alone everyone. I would encourage tolerance and respect for one another on this and all issues.”

“Thank you.”