MOBILE, Alabama (WKRG) – Law enforcement from across the Gulf Coast came together to honor the lives lost in the line of duty on Thursday, January 13. According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, 502 law enforcement officers were killed in 2021.
Law enforcement security was an important topic at lunch. City of Mobile Public Safety Chaplain Ed Connick hopes that through prayer the violence we see on the Gulf Coast will slow.
Connick said: “Personally, I have had to make death notifications on four different occasions where police officers have been killed in the line of duty. It’s not something I like to do. I don’t want to have to do this again. »
The Officer Down memorial page breaks down its line of service deaths in a list. Four on the list are from our area. They are Orange Beach Officer Brandon Ard, Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Richard Wendell Humphrey, Baldwin County Deputy William H. Smith and Corrections Officer of Robertsdale Police Maurice “Reese” Jackson.
Chaplain Connick said: “When a policeman leaves home to take his shift, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen that day. And he is the object of all these calls, a simple call can turn into a tragedy. And his family, he leaves that family hoping to get home after his shift and when someone gets hurt or killed in the line of duty, that doesn’t happen.
Law enforcement honored local hero Bryan Myers. He was unable to attend lunch due to health reasons, but the people who know him best have spoken of his successful career.
Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich said, “I could call him and he [would] do whatever he wanted for us and he’s a true partner and we cherish those partnerships at the DA’s office.
Chaplain Connick said Myers had been diagnosed with cancer. Officers said Myers was unable to attend the event due to medical intervention.
