Robeson County deputies honor fallen officers for ‘National Police Week’
ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — Robeson County Community College served as the gathering point Wednesday morning for law enforcement officers, families, and supporters to honor those who died in the line of duty.
A memorial ceremony was held in the ADL Auditorium at the college.
The ceremony included an invocation by retired Chief Paul McDowell, a presentation of colors by the Robeson County Honor Guard, and bagpipes.
The names of each officer killed from the region dating as far back as the 1800s was read as families of lost loved ones listened.
Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins, said the memorial service isn’t always pleasant, but the ceremony seeks to honor the memory of those killed.
“We don’t really look forward to today because we don’t like to name people’s names to this list,” Wilkins said. “But on the flip side we do want to show the families of those fallen officers support because they did give the ultimate sacrifice in serving.”
Sgt. Joe Oxendine with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said the ceremony is all about respect.
“When one of our brothers die,” Oxendine said. “We like to show respect, because respect is all you have, and the community can help us by coming and supporting also.”
National Police Week ends Saturday.
* * *
Tomika Jackson joined News13 in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist. She started her journalism career in 2000 with previous stops at WALB TV10, CBS47 & WTOC11 in Savannah, Georgia. Tomika is a Georgia native and Valdosta State University graduate. Follow Tomika on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. You can read more of her work here.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
