Canonsburg man is first recipient of Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship
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In life, Brian Shaw embodied the characteristics a police officer needs to possess: humility, integrity, dedication and compassion.
Shaw, a Lower Burrell native, was a 25-year-old rookie on the New Kensington police force when he was killed during a Nov. 17, 2017, traffic stop.
In death, Shaw’s legacy lives on through a scholarship that will help an Allegheny County Police Academy student who also embodies the characteristics he lived by.
The first $6,000 Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship was awarded Friday to Andrew Falconer at the basic recruit class graduation at the academy’s training center in McCandless.
Falconer, 22, of Canonsburg, was one of 30 graduates who entered the ranks of law enforcement. He will be an officer with the McDonald Police Department in Washington County.
Receiving the scholarship was more of an honor than a financial reward, Falconer said.
“I feel that every single police officer should also have every single one of the characteristics that Brian Shaw had,” Falconer said. “It’s truly an honor to receive this award.”
Before announcing that Falconer won the scholarship, Terry McClain, president of the Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Fund, told the graduates about Shaw, what he meant to the people of New Kensington that he served and how as police officers they will mean as much to the communities they serve.
“He had a passion of service to his community and the people he loved,” McClain said. “During his short time in law enforcement, Officer Shaw left a lasting impression on the residents of New Kensington and the Alle-Kiski Valley.”
Shaw’s death is an example of the dangers people who work in law enforcement face daily, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said.
“That’s the reality of what you are getting into,” Zappala said. “It’s a very difficult profession.”
The Shaw scholarship is funded through fundraisers, including a memorial ride that’s set for Aug. 11 in Cheswick.