Annual Lee County service memorializes fallen police officers
TUPELO – The Northeast Mississippi Law Enforcement Memorial Service drew a somber crowd Monday night as more than three dozen fallen law enforcement officers were honored.
“All of these men were fathers and sons, but we are all brothers whether you wear a star, a shield or a state symbol. I was fortunate to wear all three,” said guest speaker Bob Poe, the Pontotoc Police Department deputy chief. “Once you put the tin over your heart, you become something special, and it involves the whole family.”
As the son of a state trooper, Poe can remember lying awake in bed waiting for his father to make it home safely. Many years later as a Mississippi Highway Patrol supervisor, he would still worry that his men and women would return home to their families safe and sound. That did not happen eight years ago when Tishomingo County called for help with a standoff situation and the MHP SWAT team was called to action.
“My friend Lee Tartt was at a baseball game and said he was leaving,” Poe said. “Once we got more information, I told him that his specialty was not even needed on the call. His response was, ‘These are my guys on the ground, and I’m going too.’”
Tartt was killed in the gun battle when officers stormed the house following a six-hour standoff. Three other troopers were injured as they rescued the two female victims.
Growing up, Poe recalled attending numerous law enforcement funerals for people he did not know. That changed as the years passed. Looking around at the 37 placards of fallen officers lining the lobby at the Elvis Presley Birthplace, Poe recognized at least 10 that he personally knew.
“Each one of these men stood for what is right,” Poe said. “I ask that you remember these people daily, not just one week a year.”
The service was held as part of National Police Week, which is highlighted each year by the Peace Officers Memorial Day on May 15. The day was established in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy.
The local memorial is hosted by Wives of Warriors and C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors).
The local memorial was created 25 years ago by John Harmon to honor the death of his son in the line of duty. Casey Harmon was shot and killed while working as a jailer at the Lee County Juvenile Detention Center in March 1998.
More law enforcement memorial events are scheduled for Tuesday.
In Booneville, the Prentiss County Sheriff’s Office will hold their annual ceremony at the Prentiss County Justice Center at 6 p.m.
There will be a pair of events in Jackson on Tuesday. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety will host their memorial service at 10 a.m., and the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police will host their annual fallen officer candlelight vigil at the State Capitol Mall at 6:30 p.m. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks will hold its ceremony Thursday at 10 a.m. in Jackson.
The national memorial will be held Tuesday night at 7 p.m. with a candlelight vigil on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. That event, which will be livestreamed on social media by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Foundation.
