OLYMPIA, Wash. — In the shadow of Washington's state Capitol in Olympia is a place to remember the sacrifices of the state's law enforcement officers.
The names of 341 people who gave their lives serving and protecting people in their community since 1854 are listed at the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial.
But if you ask Karen Shuey, one name is missing. The name of her late husband, Deputy Daryl Shuey.
"It just breaks my heart. I feel so bad for him because he worked so hard and gave so much," said Karen Shuey. "He gave his life to be a police officer. He sacrificed everything, he died doing it. He deserves to be on that wall."
Deputy Shuey worked for the Pierce County Sheriff's Department for 26 years. In November 2020, as he was moving bags of heavy garbage recovered from a stolen car, Shuey suffered a heart attack and died on the job.
Earlier this year, other law enforcement organizations recognized Shuey's death as occurring in the line of duty.
In Spokane, Shuey's name was engraved on the Fallen Officer Memorial.
His name was added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Justice also recognized Shuey as dying in the line of duty, under the Hometown Heroes Act, which qualified his family for federal death benefits.
But Behind the Badge, a nonprofit organization that provides support to families of law enforcement officers who have died determines which names are added to the state's memorial based on very specific criteria.
Their criteria state if an officer dies of a heart attack, it is considered a line-of-duty death if they were performing a stressful or strenuous activity that isn't considered routine.
"I don't see how any one person can decide what's strenuous for one person and not another," said Shuey. "They also have to be consistent with how they apply their criteria. And they aren't in my husband's case, they have not been."
The Washington State Fraternal Order of Police (WAFOP) agrees with Shuey's widow and wants to see language added to state law that would ensure officers who are recognized nationally would also be honored here at home.
"We're very surprised ... how the decision-making process is so arbitrary. There's no consistency. It really concerns us as an organization and as a law enforcement professional," said James Schrimpsher, vice president of WAFOP.
Shuey's wife appealed Behind the Badge's decision, but it was denied.
The foundation declined an interview with KING 5, but they sent us a statement saying, "Behind the Badge Foundation is deeply saddened by Mrs. Shuey's loss," and "While not all deceased officers qualify to be listed on the Memorial, we recognize and appreciate their service."
Behind the Badge Foundation explained to KING 5 that even if one organization agrees to include an officer's name, it doesn't guarantee it will be included in another.
"He's recognized everywhere he could be recognized, except in his own hometown," said Shuey.
Deputy Shuey isn't on the First Responders Memorial in Pierce County either, a community he served for nearly three decades.
The county says its policy is to add the same names chosen by Behind the Badge for the State Memorial, but adds County Executive Bruce Dammeier "would certainly be thoughtful in considering a request that is outside of the established criteria."
Shuey has asked the Pierce County Police Chiefs Association to write a letter requesting his name to be included in the memorial outside the County-City building in Tacoma.
But without his name on the State Memorial in Olympia, Shuey feels that not only is her husband gone, he is forgotten.
"If that's your loved one, your dad, your son, your daughter, your mom, you walk up to that name, and you touch the name like it means something to you," explained Shuey. "It's so much more than a name on a wall."