Courthouse ceremony honors police offiers

By JIM TALBERT\Staff
TAZEWELL – Choking back tears Montgomery Sheriff Tommy Whitt recalled getting the news Deputy Eric Sutphin had been killed in the line of duty.
Whitt and Delegate Dan Bowling were the keynote speakers for the Police Officers Memorial Service at the courthouse May 17.  Whitt recalled how hard it was to help the family deal with the loss of their husband and father and to personally deal with the loss of a friend.
He said dealing with the loss, while difficult had forged a deeper bond among his officers and spoke with pride of the way they handled the situation. He urged those present to show their appreciation for officers and the work they do.
Bowling recalled knowing Jack Sargent, a Tazewell officer killed in the line of duty in 1967. He said Sargent’s death brought a feeling of sadness to the entire community. Bowling said he was proud when the legislature assigned him to the police and militia committee because it gave him the opportunity to assist police officers, firemen, rescue workers and national guardsmen.
Bowling encouraged those present to get to know their police officers and to learn to appreciate the work they do. He said it takes a special person to do that kind of work.
He said it was wonderful that the Fraternal Order of Police is erecting a monument to officers from Tazewell County killed in the line of duty. That monument will be delivered next month and stand in an area near the entrance to the courthouse.
Bowling said he hoped the day would come when no more names would be placed on the local monument or the national monument in Washington. Sheriff H.S. Caudill placed a wreath in honor of fallen officers.
With blue lights from several cruisers flashing, Tazewell Police Chief Brian Hieatt presided over the reading of names of state and local officers who died in the line of duty.
Chaplain Adam Frye offered a prayer and the Tazewell High School Choir performed two songs and the National Anthem.  Officers from Roanoke, Washington County, Department of Corrections, Montgomery County and Norfolk Southern Railway joined the local officers at the ceremony.