COEUR d’ALENE — When first responders fall in the line of duty, there’s a tendency to remember them as public servants first and individuals second. 

Friends and colleagues of Idaho State Police Cpl. Linda Huff haven’t let that happen. 

“Those of us who knew Linda remember much more than that,” said Paul Berger, commander of Idaho State Police District 1. 

Law enforcement personnel and other community members gathered Wednesday morning to rededicate the restored memorial garden behind the Idaho Transportation Department facility in Coeur d’Alene, near the place where a gunman fatally shot Huff 28 years ago.

“She was so much more than an officer,” said Wayne Longo, a former state trooper, investigations lieutenant and Coeur d’Alene police chief. “She was also a hero.” 

The night of June 17, 1998, an attacker ambushed Huff in the parking lot outside what was then the ISP District 1 office. Though she was shot 17 times, Huff fought back, returning fire and wounding the attacker before succumbing to her injuries. 

The 33-year-old was the first female law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty in Idaho. She had served with ISP for 14 months at the time of her death. 

She was posthumously awarded the first Idaho Law Enforcement and Firefighting Medal of Honor. 

Berger said Huff was his first trainee. He said she cared deeply for others and wanted to do the job right, always with appreciation of the fact that her role as a trooper meant she would encounter people on the worst days of their lives. 

“I probably learned as much from Linda as she learned from me,” he said. 

Huff was more than a colleague. She was a mother of three and married to a fellow state trooper. She was a daughter and a friend. 

“We remember her smile,” Berger said. “We remember her compassion. And we remember the example she set for all of us.” 

The memorial garden recently underwent a significant restoration effort, led by Scouting America Troop No. 222 of Coeur d’Alene. Troop members volunteered their time and labor to clean, revitalize and preserve the memorial site, while area businesses donated materials. 

“The memorial is a promise that we will remember,” Berger said. 

Avery Dix, a scout who helped spearhead the project, became emotional as she looked out at the restored garden and the community members who had gathered to remember Huff’s life and legacy. 

“We should honor her because she made the ultimate sacrifice,” Dix said. 

Trisha Marosi, a senior regional communications officer with ISP, attended the ceremony with her daughter, Jenna. The pair paused together to admire the flowers and the stone placed in Huff’s memory. 

“It’s good to know that people do remember what we went through back in 1998,” Marosi said. 

Longo said Huff wasn’t the only fallen first responder on his mind Wednesday. 

He also recalled Coeur d’Alene Police Sgt. Greg Moore, who was killed in the line of duty 11 years ago, as well as Coeur d’Alene Battalion Chief John Morrison and Battalion Chief Frank Harwood of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, who were ambushed and fatally shot last June on Canfield Mountain. 

“God bless them and their families,” he said. 

Berger said the restored garden will be a place for reflection and for others to learn Huff’s story. 

“Her courage continues to inspire troopers who never had the opportunity to meet her,” he said.