THE HONOREESGeorgia State Patrol Master Trooper Bill BowmanDade County Sheriff Sgt. Scott ParkerTrenton Police Officer Mike Coleman
Community members, many of them children, laid 10 white roses at the table — one for every Georgia law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty since they gathered last year.
Dade County residents gathered at the courthouse on Tuesday to honor both fallen officers and three exceptional ones in their area as part of Law Enforcement Appreciation Week, hosted by the Trenton-Dade Optimist Club.
Yet the most conspicuous group in the crowd might not have been the men and women in uniform, but the large assembly of students who penned essays about their local police, sang patriotic pieces, played taps for those killed in action and presented law enforcement leaders with posters and cards of thanks.
“This is a chance for them to see how important law enforcement is, especially in a small county,” Optimist Club President Ann Brown said.