Lebanon, Tenn. – Wilson County law enforcement is holding a memorial ceremony tomorrow, Thursday, May 9 to remember comrades who died in the line of duty. The ceremony will be held in the Honorable Judge Tatum’s Courtroom at the Wilson County Criminal Justice Center located at 105 East High Street in Lebanon, and it will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m. The community is encouraged to attend the annual police memorial service to remember all Law Enforcement Officers who gave their lives in the line of duty serving the citizens of Wilson County.
Law enforcement officers are the first and last line of defense for many in our community. Nine officers have died in the line of duty in Wilson County. The most recent deaths occurred in 2003 when Wilson County Sheriff’s Deputy John Musice and Mt. Juliet Police Sergeant Jerry Mundy were killed in Mt. Juliet. Rather than run away from danger, the fallen officers chose to confront it, and they tragically gave their life to ensure our citizens remained safe.
According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, one law enforcement officer is killed in the line of duty in the United States ever 57 hours. Since the first known line-of-duty death in 1791, more than 19,000 law enforcement officers in this country have died while protecting our communities. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, and the week in which that falls as Police Week.
The memorial ceremony is sponsored by Wilson County’s Fraternal of Police (FOP) Lodges 71 and 83. Mt. Juliet Police Chief James Hambrick, Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan, and Lebanon Police Chief Scott Bowen will all speak at the service. A check will be presented to the Middle and East Tenn. Concerns of Police Survivors organization on behalf of both FOP Lodges and Heroes Behind the Badge.
###