The Ohio Senate voted unanimously on March 25 to designate a stretch of Interstate 480 in Cuyahoga County as the Officer Jacob J. Derbin Memorial Highway, honoring the Euclid police officer who was killed in the line of duty in May 2024.
Senate Bill 334, introduced by State Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-District 18), passed 32-0. The bill designates the east and westbound lanes of I-480 between Lancaster Drive and I-77 as the memorial highway. It now moves to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.
Derbin, 23, of Brooklyn Heights, was fatally shot on May 11, 2024, while responding to a domestic disturbance call on East 211th Street in Euclid. Authorities described the shooting as an ambush. The suspect was later found dead following a standoff in Shaker Heights.
A 2023 graduate of ºÚÁÏÍø at Trumbull, Derbin completed the Peace Officer Training Academy and earned an Associate of Technical Study before joining the Euclid Police Department in July 2023. He had been on the force for less than a year at the time of his death.
Before pursuing a career in law enforcement, Derbin served in the Ohio Army National Guard, including a tour of duty in Kuwait. He came from a family with deep ties to policing — his father is also an officer with the Euclid Police Department.
Derbin was a 2018 graduate of Cuyahoga Heights High School, where a monument was unveiled in his honor in June 2025. He was engaged to be married in July 2024.
Since his death, the community has rallied to preserve Derbin's memory. His name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Officer Jacob Derbin Foundation continues to support efforts to honor his service and legacy.