Section 59. Police Officer Scott A. Wertz Memorial Bridge.
(a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
(1) Police Officer Scott A. Wertz was a lifelong resident of Berks County.
(2) Police Officer Wertz attended Reading and Wilson School Districts and graduated from Wilson High School in 1984.
(3) Police Officer Wertz dedicated 20 years of his life to public service and law enforcement, working for six years as a correctional officer at the Berks County Prison, and later as a part-time police officer for the Sinking Spring Borough and South Heidelberg Township Police Departments.
(4) Police Officer Wertz graduated from the Reading Police Academy and joined the Reading Police Department in 1997, where he was a member of the Patrol Division, working as a Field Training Officer, and served in a special detail in the Criminal Investigations Division as part of the Auto Theft Task Force.
(5) On August 6, 2006, Police Officer Wertz died in the line of duty while responding with his partner to a call to assist his fellow officers who were attempting to break up a fight.
(6) Police Officer Wertz was a loving husband and father and a dedicated police professional whose exemplary career and sacrifice personify the meaning of hero.
(b) Designation.--The bridge, identified as Bridge Key 5221, carrying U.S. Route 422 Business, also known as Penn Street, over the Schuylkill River in the City of Reading, Berks County, is designated as the Police Officer Scott A. Wertz Memorial Bridge.
(c) Signs.--The Department of Transportation shall erect and maintain appropriate signs displaying the name of the bridge to traffic in both directions on the bridge.