Law enforcement gathers honors
Top Safety Department officials led a special memorial service in Nashville on Friday honoring Tennessee state troopers and other law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty to commemorate National Police Week.
“These men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice,” Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Bill Gibbons said at the service, held at the department’s headquarters. “They are in our thoughts and prayers every day. We can never repay their families for their service to our state and to our country, but we can honor them and promise to never forget their sacrifice.”
Since the creation of the Tennessee Highway Patrol in 1929, 41 troopers have died in the line of duty, according to a department news release.
Tennessee Highway Patrol Col. Tracy Trott also participated in the service while Maj. Gen. Terry M. “Max” Haston, Tennessee’s adjunct general in the Military Department, delivered the keynote address.
Optimist Club honors detective
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Detective Robin Langford was honored Friday with the Scenic Chattanooga Optimist Club’s “Respect for Law Award.”
Langford was nominated and chosen because of his outstanding forensic investigative skills, where he takes the lead role in crime scene investigations and forensic analysis, a news release stated.
The club’s “Respect for Law” program was initiated in 1965 and adopted locally because club members believe it is important for the community to recognize the attributes of local law enforcement personnel, according to the release.
“As a community, we are deeply indebted to those who choose a career of service in law enforcement. These men and women serve as the frontline of protection for all of us, and as a civic club, we are proud to honor them,” Emily Job, president of the Scenic Chattanooga Optimist Club said in the release.