Prentiss County deputies remember lost brother-in-arms

WILLIAM MOORE, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·2 min read

BOONEVILLE – The Prentiss County Sheriff’s Office paused Tuesday night and planted a 25th magnolia tree outside the justice complex to remember the 25th year since deputy Michael Hisaw was killed in the line of duty.

“In the last 24 years, we have not lost anyone else. God has blessed us, but I ask you to remain diligent,” Prentiss County Sheriff Randy Tolar said to his deputies.

He said of the 58 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty across the nation so far this year, 21 died from gunfire. The second leading cause is vehicle crashes.

“I want you to make sure you take into consideration your training and your limitations,” Tolar reminded the officers.

Since the death of Hisaw in 1999, the department has gathered each year during Law Enforcement Memorial Week to lay a wreath on Hisaw’s memorial at the flagpole outside the jail and to plant a magnolia tree.

The guest speaker was Justice Court Judge Ray Hall, who first joined the U.S. Marine Corps before fulfilling his childhood dream of becoming a police officer, first as a Prentiss County deputy sheriff and later as a state trooper.

He said the first recorded memorial was when Moses put manna from heaven in a jar and told the people to remember what God had done to deliver them from the desert and provide them with a future.

“It’s the same with law enforcement. There is no security of family and no future for the community without the brave men and women in uniform,” Hall said. “There has to be someone willing to stand between evil and good and uphold what is true and right.”

Hall said that while the country pauses this week each year to remember the law enforcement officers who are no longer here, everyone should take time every week to honor those who are.

The last time he saw Hisaw was in 1998. Hall was home on leave from the Marines and saw a marked patrol car drive past the house, stop and back up.

“He rolled down the window and said, ‘Hi, Ray,’ I asked him how it was going. He said he was on a call and had to go but it was good seeing me,” Hall said.

Little did he know then that the following March, Hisaw would be killed while responding to a call to protect and serve the people of Prentiss County.