A beautiful spring day served a reminder Friday noon of the calm before the storm facing a law enforcement officer as he/she goes onto duty.

One never knows if they will make it back home at shift’s end.

The Peace Officers Memorial Service ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Monument on the Hamblen County Courthouse grounds was a fitting place to hold such a service.

“(May 15, Peace Officers Memorial Day) is a time to pay tribute to law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty,” Hamblen County Sheriff Chad Mullins said. “The brave men and women serving as sworn members of law enforcement put their lives on the line every day. We honor the commitment to the communities that they serve.”

According to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Justice, nearly 30,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. employ more than 700,000 full-time sworn deputies, officers and troopers. There are 86,000 part-time officers, plus there are around 400,000 full-time and part-time civilians at these agencies.

HCSO Operations Captain David Cribley explained that the bill in Congress proclaiming May 15 as Police Officer Memorial Day was signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in October, 1962. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed an amendment to the law requiring the American Flag to be flown at half-staff on May 15. The first peace officer’s memorial day service was held in 1982.

Cribley said that in 2025, an estimated 40,000 people attended the National Police Week Memorial Service in Washington, D.C. In recognizing Peace Officer Memorial Day, 72 officers died responding to the 9-11 attacks. President George W. Bush said that Peace Officers Memorial Day and Police Week pay tribute to local, state and federal law enforcements officers who served with dedication.

“These observances also remind us of the ongoing need to be vigilant against all forms of crime, especially those with extreme violence and terrorism,” Cribley said.

Almost 25,000 fallen law enforcement officers’ names are on the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., Cribley said.

“Today, we stand together not to remember faces or statistics, but honor real men and women, sons, daughters, husbands, wives, mothers and fathers who put on the badge and never returned home,” MPD Chaplain Chris Dotson said.

He said that since 1786, more than 27,000 law enforcement officers in the U.S. have died in the line of duty.

“Their names are etched in the wall of the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington,” Dotson said. “They are forever written on the hearts of the families and communities they serve.”

The deadliest single day in America was on September 11, 2001 when 72 officers went toward the Twin Towers in New York City and never came back out. The deadliest year on record was 2021 when 732 officers lost their lives. Gunfire claimed the most officers in 2025 with 43 officers being killed by gunfire and 17 others dying from 9-11 related injuries. The average age of those who died last year was 44 years of age with the youngest being 24. On average, these officers had served 14 years when they responded to their final call.

Forty-one officers have died in 2026, Dotson said. Since last years’ service, four Tennesseans have been killed in service.

“Their lives and their names will never be forgotten,” Dotson said.

Hamblen County Sheriff Henry Clay Walker was killed by gunfire on April 7, 1941 while searching a car for illegal whiskey. He was shot four times by the driver who later turned himself in. The driver was found guilty of Second-Degree Murder and served 15 years in prison.

Morristown Marshal James Morris was killed by gunfire on August 20, 1880. Morris was attempting to settle a disturbance when he was shot and killed. The Hamblen County Sheriff at the time was also shot in the incident, but survived. Another officer present ended up shooting and killing the suspect.

County Mayor Chris Cutshaw said that Friday was a time of reflection, gratitude and a time to recognize the tremendous responsibility carried every day by these men and women in law enforcement.

“Here in Hamblen County, we are blessed with two outstanding law enforcement agencies, the HCSO and the MPD. These officers answer the call every hour of every day. Instead of running away from danger, they are running toward it when fear, confusion and uncertainty have them standing in the gap. They continue to serve, they continue to protect and they continue to place the safety of others ahead of themselves. We thank you for what you do for this community. That commitment deserves our respect. That sacrifice deserves our appreciation. That courage deserves to be honored.”

Morristown Mayor Gary Chesney told those gathered that it took a special person to be an effective police officer in 2026.

“A special personality, special skills, skills that demand that one handle special situations, sometimes of extreme violence where seconds can turn into situations that demand understanding, sympathy, compassion, both intelligence and bravery are required of the men and women who stand the line… deserve our trust, not just for a day or week, but every day.”

Chesney also read into action a joint proclamation making May 11-15 “National Police Week” in Morristown and Hamblen County.

Wreaths were placed in memory of officers lost in the line of duty by the Fraternal Order of Police Cherokee Lodge No. 4 and for fallen K-9 officers by MPD Senior Chaplain Cynthia Thompson.

Others participating were Bagpiper Kelly Shipe playing “Flowers of the Forest,” and “Amazing Grace;” the Morristown Police Department/ Hamblen County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard; Holly Epps, Rev. Alan Lamb and Haley Swecker, representing Holt’s Baptist Church of Morristown, who led those assembled in the “National Anthem” and “God Bless America;” and Rev. Dr. Dean Haun, pastor of First Baptist Church of Morristown, who led an invocation.

The honor guard had a 21gun salute, followed by the playing of “TAPS.”