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INDIANAPOLIS — A painful anniversary turned into a special moment recently for a police officer who lost his friend and partner in the line of duty. 

Marion County Deputy Jason Baker was shot and killed in September 2001.

On Sept. 17, 2018, the Fraternal Order of Police and Baker’s family honored his memory by handing out 1,000 teddy bears to police officers.

The bears are known as “Baker Bears.”

Officers have them in their squad cars and can use them to comfort kids who have been in scary situations or just to build relationships with them. 

One of Deputy Baker’s best friends and former partner recently got to see bears handed out to two girls. 

Officer Larry Giordano worked with Baker as a Marion County Deputy but is now with IMPD. 

“It just kind of felt, you do this job for so long, you just kind of go day to day-to-day. Some days you don’t even know if it’s Monday or Tuesday, it’s just a date, for the paperwork it seems like, but it was kind of a gut check for me because it was kind of Jason telling me that you know, look at their faces, look at those kid’s faces, and it kind of brought it back to me,” said Giordano.

(Photo by WISH-TV.)