ATHENS-As darkness descends on downtown Athens Thursday night, officers will light candles in memory of nine lives whose names are etched in granite.
The Athens Police Department will hold a memorial at the Law Enforcement Memorial on the Limestone County Courthouse lawn at 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. This will be in honor of National Police Week to remember law enforcement officers in Limestone County who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“This is the first time we have conducted a candlelight vigil,” Chief Floyd Johnson said. “This will be a short and solemn ceremony, a time for us to pause and remember those who sacrificed their lives protecting our community.”
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, on average, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty somewhere in the United States every 58 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 20,000 U.S. law enforcement officers have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Mayor Ronnie Marks
There has been a 26 percent increase in law enforcement fatalities between May 14, 2013, and May 14 of this year, according to NLEOMF.
There have been 48 fatalities so far in that time frame. There has been one fatality in Alabama this year.
For the nine names on the local Law Enforcement Memorial, their end of watch came as they were doing routine duties such as transporting blood, answering a 911 call, checking on a person’s welfare and patrolling a highway.
“Our officers risk their lives daily doing similar routine duties,” Mayor Ronnie Marks said. “I ask our citizens to join us for this ceremony and take a moment to say ‘thank you’ to those who serve now and pay tribute to those who are no longer with us.”
End of Watch for Limestone County
Athens Police Department
● Bedford F. Brackeen
End of Watch: March 24, 1941
Brackeen was sitting in a patrol car with his partner at the old bus stop at Clinton Street when a man approached their car and started an argument about a prior incident. The man pulled out a revolver and opened fire. Brackeen exited the car and exchanged shots. Brackeen was shot three times but still attempted to chase the suspect before collapsing. The suspect was arrested near Nashville and convicted of first-degree murder.
● Billy Daly
End of Watch: Dec. 22, 1964
Daly was on his police motorcycle when a vehicle struck him at U.S. 31 and Forrest Street. He had been with the department for two years.
● Lt. Benton McLemore
End of Watch: March 7, 1969
A suspect shot and killed McLemore after the officer responded to the suspect’s house to check on his welfare. The suspect was known to be mentally ill and shot McLemore with a shotgun after the officer knocked on the door. The suspect killed himself before capture.
● Dewey Wayne Dorsey Sr.
End of Watch: Feb. 11, 1989
Dorsey died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident while transporting blood to Athens-Limestone Hospital. The hospital treated and released Dorsey, but a blood clot developed and killed him.
● Sgt. Larry Wayne Russell and officer Tony Mims
End of Watch: Friday, Jan. 2, 2004
The men responded to a 911 call made by a man with a history of mental illness. The man opened fire as each officer pulled into the driveway, killing Mims first and Russell second. The bullets pierced their vehicles and bullet proof vests. The suspect died in prison.
Limestone County Sheriff’s Department
● Chief Deputy James Henry Eubank
End of Watch: Thursday, June 13, 1918
A suspect shot and killed Eubank while he searched a house for a weapon.
Troopers
● David E. Temple
End of Watch: Sept. 13, 1979
A man shot and killed Temple after the officer pulled up to him in Limestone County in an attempt to arrest him for a car lot robbery in Decatur. The man leaned out of his car and opened fire on Temple. The man then got out of the car and walked to where Temple lay on the ground and shot him several more times. The suspect fled the scene and led police on a chase through Madison. Police shot and killed him after he wounded another officer.
● Simmie L. Jeffries
End of Watch: Friday, Dec. 21, 1984
Jeffries died from an accident when his patrol car collided with a tractor trailer in Limestone County.
