MERRILLVILLE | Hundreds gathered Thursday morning at the Burns Funeral Home to bid a fallen fellow officer farewell. (View additional photos from the funeral.)

Eric N. Forster, 29, of Winfield Township, was remembered for his work in and out of uniform.

"He was a dedicated professional and a family man," Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez said.

Forster died early Saturday when his car overturned and crashed into a ditch at 123rd and Randolph, less than a mile from his home.

He began his police career in the town of Kouts and served seven years as a county police officer, which included a stint as a detective in the county crime lab.

He had been a member of the Ross Fire Service and Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Department. He coached Pop Warner Football, Little League baseball and girls softball.

Police and firefighters lined the hallways of the funeral home and stood at attention outside as the officer's casket was raised onto a Ross Township fire engine for transport to Calumet Park Cemetery.

A Burns Funeral Home spokeswoman said Thursday 600 people attended funeral services.

The motorcade included hundreds of law enforcement vehicles and dozens of members of the Untouchables Motorcycle Club, an organization of active and retired law enforcement officers who drive American-made motorcycles. Forster was a member of the Untouchables.

"He had achieved much over a short period of time and was extremely well respected and liked among fellow officers and friends," Dominguez said of Forster.

"This is a big loss for us at the Sheriff's Department and for our community. Eric lived and epitomized the motto to serve and protect," he said.

The sheriff's office continues to investigate the cause of the accident, questioning witnesses and an accident reconstructionist is working the case.