Myrtle Beach police unveil decal in honor of fallen officers during annual ceremony
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — In honor of National Law Enforcement Memorial Week, the Myrtle Beach Police Department held their annual memorial ceremony in celebration of the fallen.
More than 10,000 police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty. Police Chief Amy Prock said it’s not just important to remember how they died, but how they lived.
Myrtle Beach police along with city and community members gathered Friday morning at the Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center.
Specifically honoring the three city police officers who died while serving their community, a decal was designed to honor them and was unveiled during the ceremony.
The decal will soon be seen on all MBPD vehicles. Prock said it’s important to work together in order to make a difference in the community.
“You see our patch and the stars, and it remembers those past and those who are still serving,” she said. “But we also wanted to make sure those that gave the ultimate sacrifice are remembered every day and it reminds our teammates that we need to be safe, we need to ensure that we’re working towards a safer community, communicate, making sure we’re taking those extra steps every day.”
Henry Scarborough died in 1949, Joseph McGarry died in 2002, and Jacob Hancher died in 2020. Family members of each of the fallen officers were at the ceremony to represent their loved one.
Hancer’s mother, Suzanne Williams, said hearing stories of how her son had impacted someone’s life, makes her proud.
“That really, it makes me proud, it makes me proud when they share the stories. The simple stories of things he did with the schools or things that he did in the community or community members that he’s helped. And I love it,” she said. “I love hearing their interactions with him because it does help keep his memory alive in our hearts.”
She said it also gives his younger sister something to remember him by.
“She’s growing up with his memory, and that’s what means so much too, because I see the pride in her, as she sees the remembrances that they’ve done for him,” Williams said. “It really — she was only 8 when he passed away. So, that’s how she grows up with him.”
Williams said she wants people to always remember her son by how much he loved this community, and how much he invested into it, wanting to make a difference.
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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
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