Fallen RPD K9 Officer Seara Burton remembered near anniversary of her death

RICHMOND, Ind. — This would not be a second funeral. Richmond Mayor Dave Snow was adamant about that.

If you knew her, Seara Burton would have said once was more than enough, Snow said.

Instead, Friday's prayer vigil, at the Richmond Municipal Building for fallen Richmond Police Department K9 Officer Burton near the one-year anniversary of her death, was a celebration of her life.

"Today, we come together to celebrate a short and vibrant life," Snow said. "Most of us came to know her through a career in law enforcement, but it was much bigger. It was a life filled with ambition, goals, travel and so much more, so I hope tonight we can celebrate Seara's entire life while we honor her service to the city of Richmond and show appreciation for her sacrifice."

Burton, 28, died Sep. 18, 2022 at Reid Health, just over a month after she was shot in the head during a traffic stop Aug. 10, 2022.

Hundreds of people attended last Friday's vigil as colleagues and family members provided testimony on the joy and happiness Burton brought them, including Keifer Uphaus, one of RPD's newest K9 officers and one of Burton's closest friends and partners in the department.

Along with other officers, Uphaus helped form the Richmond Police Honor Guard, who stayed with and honored Burton throughout her final ceremonies. His K9 training was made possible by a donation from Burton's family, who "had a desire to help carry on the excellence of our K9 program in Seara's memory."

"There was a call for service one night and we got dispatched to a chicken crossing the road," Uphaus told the crowd. "I will never forget Seara's face when she pulled up and there was a large chicken standing in the middle of South A Street and she looked at me and she's like, 'What do we do?' But knowing Seara, she comes up with an idea that takes the rooster off and finding the owner. It just turned into a big debacle about everything with the chicken crossing the road and multiple questions were not answered that night."

Uphaus continued, saying that as his 4-year old son sees the sun go down and the skies in a beautiful orange, he's told that Seara is calling to say hi and that she misses them.

"I know for a fact that as long as he lives, Seara will never be forgotten," Uphaus said. "If I could say anything to Seara it would be, 'Although you are gone, you are not forgotten. We who hold this line will speak your name and we who hold this line will continue to honor your sacrifice. We who hold this line will continue to serve this community that has served you so proud. Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for being my best friend and partner. We love you.'"

Burton's stepmother, 28-year veteran of RPD, Sergent Ami Miller, thanked attendees for their support and recounted what the past year has been like.

"It's been a year trying to find peace and a new normal," Miller said. "As I know nothing will or has been the same since Seara has gone, I know Seara would want us to live life, find happiness and love each other as much as possible. Every picture I see of Seara, there was a smile or a laughter that I can still hear. As we move forward I hope we can all find a way to smile because that is what Seara would want us to do."

Miller closed her speech with a message to Seara while holding back tears, "Junior, until my last breath, I will never, ever, let you be forgotten."

Richmond Police Chief Michael Britt also extended his gratitude to the community for their continued support of Burton's family, the department and its officers.

"Tonight, family, friends, officers and citizens of Richmond unite to support each other as we carry on Seara's memory," he said. "She's left a lasting legacy and impact that reminds us all that there's still work to be done, challenges to overcome and people to inspire. It's up to all of us to ask ourselves what can we do as individuals as well as the community to honor the life and service for K9 Officer Seara Burton. We can draw from her inspiration to answer that question as we move forward."

Near the end of the vigil, collections manager of the Wayne County Historical Museum, Kerry George, announced a new permanent exhibit coming to the museum to honor Burton, centered around her police car.

"A few months ago, we were approached by Mayor Snow, Donnie Benedict and Seara's family about initially just taking her police car and creating an exhibit around it," George said. "We decided to go a little bit further with the help of Ami and Jai, and we were able to get a good number of things that folks had left at her vehicle here in front of the city building. We chose to basically recreate as closely as possible the car and when it was out here and folks were leaving tributes for her."

The exhibit will include a memorial bench for visitors to sit and reflect, as well as a guest book for people to sign and leave messages for Burton's family or the museum. The exhibit will be open to the public starting Sep. 12.

"As you all probably know, we have a 3,500-year old Egyptian mummy," George said." For the ancient Egyptians, if you kept the person's name alive after they are gone, it meant that they lived forever, and that will be our hope and intention that we will keep Seara's memory alive for generations to come."

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: K9 Officer Seara Burton remembered near anniversary of her death