Cleveland Park’s memorial to fallen HPD officer is granted through generosity of you

The baseball field at Cleveland Park bears the name of Officer Timothy L. Hearn, a Houston police officer killed in the line of duty nearly 50 years ago. The memorial sign that greets visitors is faded and chipped, its lettering worn and hard to read. For those who knew Hearn, it’s painful.

KPRC 2’s Zach Lashway first told us about this story last week and since the story aired, the community has donated more than $2,500 to cover the $1,700 sign, approved by the City of Houston.

Members of Friends of Cleveland Park wrote to 2 Helps You hoping to get the word out about the campaign to raise money to replace the sign.

Brian Bottorff founded Friends of Cleveland Park, the small nonprofit that has spent months restoring Cleveland Park. He said one job remains: replacing the sign that’s supposed to honor Hearn’s life and sacrifice.

“It’s aging at this point,” Bottorff said. “It doesn’t really say anything about who the person is. You have to go to Google to see who Tim Hearn was.”

In April, the city, Hearn’s family, and neighbors re-dedicated the ballfield. The moment was solemn and hopeful. Since then, Bottorff says, no law enforcement agency or organization has donated toward the new memorial, despite repeated outreach.

“It was kind of surprising,” he said. Asked what support from law enforcement would mean, Bottorff replied: “It’ll be a lot more personal because it’s one of their guys.”

Bottorff said additional money raised will go toward ballpark beautification upgrades.

“He made the ultimate sacrifice as an officer who chose public service,” Bottorff said.

To get involved with Friends of Cleveland Park, click here.