Jacks had been named '01 Rookie of the Year

"He's going for my gun."

Those are the last words slain police Officer Julie Jacks said on police radio Monday, according to officers.

Office Jacks was shot to death Monday after answering a call concerning a man who escaped from police custody at Parkridge Medical Center.

Officer Jacks joined the Chattanooga Police Department in November 1998 and graduated from the academy in March 1999.

She was named Rookie of the Year on May 17, 2001.

The night she was named Rookie of the Year, Officer Jacks said that as a youngster, she wanted to be an astronaut.

But after a friend joined the Cleveland (Tenn.) Police Department, she decided to dedicate herself to law enforcement.

"You touch everybody's life. You are what makes us safe," said Mayor Bob Corker to the assembled police officers during the department's 2001 awards ceremony.

After graduation, Officer Jacks served in the East Lake and Highland Park areas, both as a patrol officer and in undercover vice operations.

She was engaged to marry fellow Officer Bobby Moses.

Street Crimes Investigator Alex Lopez worked with Officer Jacks and described her as "very bright."

"She did a lot of stuff with vice," Officer Lopez said. "She had a great sense of humor and did a very good job with it."

Officer Lopez said he would often translate Spanish for Officer Jacks, a recent graduate of UTC.

He said he encouraged her to take language courses.

"She never did take classes," Officer Lopez said. "She said she would just call me anytime she needed a translator."

Officer Lopez said Officer Jacks had the "gift of gab."

"She never did have a problem talking somebody down," Officer Lopez said. "She would rather use her head than her muscle."

Officer Jacks had appeared in Sessions Court earlier Monday.

"Officer Julie Jacks presented herself as a conscientious professional," said Sessions Judge Bob Moon. "She was the spirit and the enthusiasm of her profession."