Chattanooga: Paying tribute

There were two additions to Chattanooga’s Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony this year: a new name on the list of fallen officers and a new way to show respect for the ultimate sacrifice.

As scores of uniformed officers and civilians mourned the loss of the area’s latest law enforcement casualty — Lt. David Gann with the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Office, who was killed in a car wreck in February — the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office offered an equine tribute with the help of its new mounted patrol unit.

The officers had been training with their horses since October 2008 to make their debut at Thursday’s ceremony, where they escorted a riderless horse past the Police Memorial on Market Street.

“It goes back to cavalry days; it symbolizes the fallen rider,” explained Deputy Jeff Eversole, the office’s mounted patrol commander.

Sequatchie County Sheriff Ronnie Hitchcock said after the ceremony that he felt it was the perfect way to preserve the memory of Lt. Gann.

“We want to give honor where honor’s due,” he said.

In addition to the horse procession, the event featured remarks from Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble, a scripture reading from Chattanooga Police Department Chaplain Grant Wolf and a poem read by Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon.

Honor guard officers placed wreaths of flowers beside the memorial statue, and representatives from local police departments offered individual roses as each fallen officer’s name was announced.

From here on out, ceremonies such as this often will feature Hamilton County’s mounted patrol, according to G.A. Bennett, the sheriff office’s director of support services. Sheriff Jim Hammond has wanted to have such a unit for years since the department never has had one, Mr. Bennett said.

The Chattanooga Police Department had a mounted patrol division but abandoned it in 2001 due to rundown facilities in Warner Park, a shortage of officers and high costs, according to newspaper archives.

The sheriff’s new unit includes 14 officers — three full-time, state-certified officers and nine reserve officers — who volunteer their time to participate. Members own and maintain their own animals and use donations to pay for all their equipment and uniforms, according to Mr. Bennett.

Six riders participated Thursday, he said, because only about half of the team is outfitted so far. The department has received $12,000 to cover expenses but is looking for more money to cover the rest, he said.

There won’t be a full-time horse patrol, Mr. Bennett explained, but the unit will be used on a regular basis for crowd control and events such as the Riverbend Festival, plus search-and-rescue, parades and public outreach.

The patrol’s next appearance will be at the Soddy-Daisy Fun Fest this weekend, Mr. Bennett said.