A 19-year-old Vermont police officer who died in a head-on collision was remembered

A 19-year-old Vermont police officer who died in a head-on collision with a burglary suspect she was pursuing was remembered Tuesday as a young woman who was passionate about law enforcement and public service and was devoted to her family. More than 1,000 people, including Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and hundreds of law enforcement officers from across New England and New York, attended the funeral service for Jessica Ebbighausen. She was hired in May as a part-time police officer in Rutland. She died July 7. “We don’t see a lot of young people that want to do this job anymore, but Jessica did,” said Rutland Sgt. Heath Plemmons, addressing the crowd at the Vermont State University campus in Castleton. “She prepared herself. She put in a lot of effort. It was her dream. “Jessica died a hero that day,” said Plemmons, who was her supervisor. “She saved lives. She went towards the danger instead of going the other way.”