Memorial service held for fallen law enforcement

Local and national law enforcement were honored on Thursday afternoon during a memorial service held on the Cherokee County Courthouse steps. Chaplain Jeff L. Owens, of the Murphy Police Department, welcomed everyone and explained that the first known fatality in the line of duty was in New York City in 1792. Since then more than 17,900 officers had fallen. On average one law enforcement officer is killed in the US every 53 hours. In Cherokee County four law enforcement officers have lost their lives serving residents: Chief Mack Carringer, Oct. 7, 1930, Highway Patrolmen, J.R. Davis and C.E. Galloway, May 3, 1948, and Sheriff Frank Crawford, March 3, 1953.