Fallen Whitfield County officer honored on memorial and cross-country ride

Contributed Photo by Mitch Talley, Whitfield County / J.C. Shah, founder of Beyond the Call of Duty, offers words of encouragement to officers with the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office after a ceremony honoring their co-worker, the late Tara Cook. Contributed Photo by Mitch Talley, Whitfield County / J.C. Shah, founder of Beyond the Call of Duty, offers words of encouragement to officers with the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office after a ceremony honoring their co-worker, the late Tara Cook.

By Staff Report July 19, 2022 6 min read

Whitfield County Detention Officer Tara Cook is being remembered both locally and by a Washington-based group traveling across the nation this summer to honor hundreds of fallen law enforcement officials like her.

Members of Cook’s family gathered outside the Whitfield County Correctional Center last week for a ceremony that included the unveiling of her name carved into a nearby monument that also honors other fallen local law enforcement officers, according to a news release from Whitfield County.

During an emotional ceremony, Cook and her family were the center of attention, with her husband Seth Cook; her parents, Bob and Julie Williams; his parents, Bill and Kim Cook; and his sister, Jami, all recognized by Whitfield County Sheriff Scott Chitwood.

“The week of May 15 is now declared as Peace Officers Memorial Week,” Chitwood said to the crowd, according to the release. “A lot of local organizations have ceremonies, but the main ceremony is held in Washington, D.C., that I was honored to attend this year to represent Tara and her family.”