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Carolina C.O.P.S.

(Carolina Concerns of Police Survivors)

 SEVEN SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICERS HONORED

DURING NATIONAL POLICE WEEK CEREMONIES

The names of six South Carolina officers, along with 175 other officers from throughout the United States who were killed in 2007, were added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Wall this year, during a Candlelight Vigil at the Wall on Tuesday evening, May 13.  The names of 177 officers killed in prior years were also added, including the name of Greenville County Sheriff’s Deputy Eli Pittman, who was killed on April 30, 1906.  The six South Carolina officers killed in 2007 were also honored at a ceremony held on the grounds of the United States Capitol on Wednesday, May 15.  The seven fallen South Carolina officers were:

State Constable Robert L. Bailey, EOW 5-14-2007

Spartanburg County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Carper, EOW February 27, 2007

Dorchester County Deputy Sheriff Michael Deese, EOW March 9, 2007

Richland County Deputy Darral Keith Lane, 12-14-2007

Greenville County Deputy Sheriff Eli Pittman, EOW 4-30-1906

Moncks Corner Cpl. Marcus Stiles, EOW 3-26-2007

Moncks Corner Officer Lonnie Wells, EOW 3-25-2007

Orangeburg County Deputy Sheriff William Howell, Jr.   EOW May 3, 2008

Deputy Howell was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance.  He was approaching the home to assist the female victim in removing belongings when the male suspect opened fire with a rifle, killing Deputy Howell.  He is survived by his wife, four sons, and parents.

During the day on Wednesday, May 14, and Friday, May 16, survivors attended seminars sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors dealing with grief issues, which were led by some of the most respected grief counselors in the United States.  Sessions were also offered for co-workers of fallen officers.

 During the business session which followed lunch on Friday, Mrs. Jennifer Thacker, surviving spouse of ABC Agent Brandon Thacker, EOW 4-16-1998, was elected President of National COPS.  Jennifer was one of the founders of KY COPS, and has just completed a four-year term as Trustee of the Southern Seaboard Region, which includes South Carolina.  Replacing Jennifer as Trustee is Mrs. Glenda Gregory.  Glenda is the surviving sister of Jacksonville (FL) Sheriff’s Deputy James Moon, EOW 9-27-1971.

 Concerns of Police Survivors held a picnic for survivors on Friday evening to close National Police Week activities. 

Mission Statement

Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal Criteria.  Furthermore, C.O.P.S. provides training to law enforcement agencies on survivor victimization issues and educates the public of the need to support the law enforcement profession and its survivors.

                                  From Susan ~

Dear C.O.P.S. Members: 

The three-year anniversary of my joining the C.O.P.S. organization has just passed.  I never wanted to be a member of an organization called Concerns of Police Survivors.  Before May 16, 2005, I had never even heard of C.O.P.S.  I was living with a false hope that nothing bad could happen to my law enforcement husband because bad things happen to others, not us.  I realized how wrong I was in my thinking when on that seemingly ordinary day in May I was given the news that I never expected nor wanted to hear.  My husband, Trooper Jonathan Parker, had been killed when his parked patrol car was intentionally rammed by a fleeing armed robbery suspect.  The news was devastating.  I remember sitting there numb to my surroundings and thinking that this wasn’t really happening. 

I walked around in a continual fog for months, desperate to find anyone who understood the devastation that I was feeling in the loss of my husband.  While my family and friends offered me love and support, they really didn’t understand what I was feeling and going through.  How could they?  Months had passed when I received in the mail a brochure about a Concerns of Police Survivors sponsored retreat for surviving spouses of fallen law enforcement officers.  Initially I thought that I wasn’t interested in going because sitting around with a bunch of grieving widows was not for me.  There was a part of me, however, that knew that I needed to do this for myself.  What a relief it was to arrive there and to meet other wives who understood the grief and trauma I was experiencing.  There were women in attendance who had lost their husbands more than ten years ago and then there were others like me who were new to the grieving process.  Even though I still have bad days, and I miss Jon every day, the bad days are fewer and farther apart.  Crying has been replaced with laughter and I feel like life will one day be O.K. 

I hope that you will consider attending one of the National C.O.P.S. retreats, one that is designed specifically for you.  Whether you are a spouse, parent, daughter, son, sibling, fiancé, significant other, or in-law of a fallen officer, there is a retreat that is designed just for you. 

I hope that you all have a renewed sense of hope and realize that you are not alone on your journey of grief.  There are others who understand the sorrow that you feel.  I encourage each and every one of you to become active in the Carolina C.O.P.S. chapter because you can find healing and you might just positively impact the lives of other survivors.  I know because I have been there. 

Sincerely, 

Susan B. Parker

C.O.P.S. HANDS-ON PROGRAMS 

Each year National Concerns of Police Survivors offers eight hands-on programs in the summer and fall as an additional means of helping survivors continue their healing process.   

Adult Children’s Retreat: June 27-30, Trout Lodge, Potosi, MO (fly into St. Louis)

“C.O.P.S. Kids” Camp:      July 28-August 3, Salvation Army Lake Camp, East Troy, WI

                                                   (fly into Milwaukee, WI).   For ages 6-14.  Children MUST be accompanied

                                                                                                                                 by a parent or legal guardian.

Outward Bound:  July 28-August 4, Mountain Climbing, Leadville, CO (fly into Denver, CO) For ages 15-20.

Fiances/Significant Others Retreat:  August 22-25, Trout Lodge, Potosi, MO (fly into St. Louis)

Siblings Retreat: September 19-22, Trout Lodge, Potosi, MO (fly into St. Louis)

Spouses Retreat: September 26-29,  Trout Lodge, Potosi, MO (fly into St. Louis)

In-laws Retreat: October 17-20, Trout Lodge, Potosi, MO (fly into St. Louis)

Parents Retreat: October 31-November 3, C. A. Vines 4-H Center, Little Rock, AR 

These weekend retreats are free except for your travel to and from the nearest airport (see above).

National C.O.P.S. then provides transportation to the site of the event, meals, lodging, recreational activities and tremendous professional and peer support.  Limited assistance for travel expense is available for survivors who might otherwise not be able to attend.  Details on C.O.P. S. website:  www.nationalcops.org.

They Gave

MAY

Anderson County Sheriff’s Office

Levis T. Sexton  5-15-1965

Berkeley County Magistrate

Warren C. Guerry  5-25-1946

Berkeley County Sheriff’s Department

Harvey L. Middleton   5-11-1975

Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department

George D. Tilley  5-7-1947

Charleston County Police Department

James Owens, Jr.  5-11-1968

Charleston City Police Department

Julius C. Bunch  5-1-1932

Snyder L. Risher  5-6-1932

Perrin R. Love II  5-21-1999

Chester County Sheriff’s Department

William C. Doster  5-9-1970

James B. Waters  5-9-1970

Columbia City Police Department

Hilton T. Smith  5-18-1910

Florence City Police Department

Harold N. Cousar III  5-2-1983

Greenville City Police Department

A. B. Hunt  5-1-1932

G. S. Burroughs  5-7-1921

J. F. Holcombe  5-30-1915

Greenville County Magistrate

William J. Cox  5-14-1904

Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office

Charlie A. Rodgers  5-19-1973

Greenwood Police Department

J. T. L. McCord  5-2-1941

Lane Police Department

Ernest S. Blackmon  5-21-1924

Marion County Sheriff’s Department

Donald R. Hayes  5-3-1987

Marlboro County Sheriff’s Department

B. H. Hatcher  5-17-1924

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department

William Howell, Jr.  5-3-2008

Richland County Sheriff’s Office

Byron Keith Cannon  5-4-2005

South Carolina Highway Patrol

Jonathan W. Parker  5-16-2005

Henry C. Yonce  5-19-1959

John R. Clinton  5-24-1983

George G. Broome  5-28-1941

Ben W. Strickland III  5-31-1974

South Carolina State Constable

Robert L. Bailey  5-16-2007

SC Wildlife Department

Robert D. Sadler,  5-19, 1982

Whitmire Police Department

William E. Evans  5-19-1945

Robert R. Gilliam  5-19-1945

JUNE

Beaufort County Rural Police

Elmo F. Langford  6-6-1927

Benedict College Campus Police

Glenmore R. Williams  6-25-1977

Charleston City Police Department

Lawrence B. Aytes  6-17-1955

Jessie C. Benton  6-17-1955

James F. Tindal  6-17-1955

Charleston County Sheriff’s Office

Hubert L. Lloyd  6-7-1992

William A. Nalley  6-7-1992

Cheraw  Police Department

Gilbert F. Halma  6-26-1998

Chesnee Police Department

G. L. Phillips  6-1-1936

Joe C. Wall  6-9-1967

Clarendon County Sheriff’s Office

Henry B. Morris  6-8-1982

Columbia City Police Department

James W. Hite  6-25-1934

Easley Town Marshall

Jeremiah Hughes  6-24-1892

Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department

Raleigh Boulware  6-14-1915

Adam Hood  6-14-1915

Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

William M. Banks  6-9-1989

Samuel D. Willis  6-11-1927

Horry County Police Department

Dennis J. Lyden   6-5-2000

John R. Floyd  6-25-1986

Laurens County Sheriff’s Office

Joseph Scott Quarles  6-11-2003

Clayton K. Woods  6-15-1971

New Ellenton Police Department

Thurston F. Meeks,  6-7-1961

Newberry County Sheriff’s Office

Lawrence W. Bragg III  6-6-1989

Lucius M. Player  6-2-1926

Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Department

Leroy Myers  6-4-1965

Perry Police Department

L. C. Williamson  6-2-1974

Richland County Sheriff’s Department

Allen F. Bennett  6-20-1953

South Carolina Highway Patrol

John D. Cunningham  6-1-1933

Willie E. Peeples  6-8-1979

William P. Lancaster  6-9-1932

Michael J. Rao  6-12-2002

Arnold R. Carter  6-18-1956

Harry M. Coker, Jr.  6-21-1989

Randall S. Hewitt  6-23-1996

Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office

J. R. Snoddy  6-4-1925

Swansea Police Department

David L. McIver  6-7-1979

JULY

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department

Berry D. Creamer  7-28-1972

Camden Police Department

Ferris E. Catoe III  7-10-2000

Charleston City Police Department

Purce A. Wansley  7-14-1936

Walter L. Miller  7-14-1940

Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office

Henry B. Graves  7-14-1924

Columbia City Police Department

Cecil W. Watford  7-1-1957

Philip G. Schlatterer  7-25-1974

Florence County Sheriff’s Office

Thomas W. Spears  7-9-1992

Their All

Georgetown County Sheriff’s Department

Claude M. Parsons 7-22-1949

Greenville City Police Department

Hendrix Rector  7-4-1919

Greer Police Department

William Foster  7-2-1904

Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department

James E. Orr  7-2-1973

Lamar Police Department

Claude R. DuBose  7-2-1942

Lancaster City Police Department

Frank Sowell  7-4-1937

Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office

Kemp P. Modlin  7-12-1943

Pacolet Police Department

Clarence P. McGee  7-18-1963

Orangeburg County DPS

James E. Myers   7-18-2004

Pickens County Constable

Columbus Jones  7-7-1904

South Carolina Highway Patrol

Kenneth J. Johnson  7-7-2002

L. Lawson Rhodes  7-13-1938

Robert A. Mobley  7-19-1979

Alfred A. Thomason  7-27-1970

South Carolina State Constable

J. B. Amaker  7-6-1927

Jesse F. Bateman  7-18-1919

West Columbia Police Department

Joseph S. Gunnell  7-22-1949

York County Rural Police

Elliott Harris  7-17-1932

AUGUST

Allendale County Sheriff’s Department

Charles J. Smith  8-24-1992

Anderson City Police Department

William L. Gibson  8-14-1924

Andrews Police Department

Carl Baker 8-27-1962

Charleston City Police Department

Joseph Vega  8-15-1955

Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Office

W. Jonathan Crawley  8-31-1998

Columbia City Police Department

Henry F. Brown  8-17-1921

Florence City Police Department

Richard W. Gould  8-22-1989

Greenville County Jail

James P. Bagwell  8-3-1970

Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

Marcus L. Whitfield  8-13-1999

Andrew J. Mazur  8-17-2003

James A. Stewart  8-26-1917

Honea Path Police Department

Arthur Hughes  8-28-1920

Iva Police Department

Earl D. Compton  8-13-1967

Lake City Police Department

Clell B. Floyd  8-26-1980

Lancaster County Sheriff’s Magistrate

Coleman McAteer  8-14-1947

Lexington County Sheriff’s Office

Douglas M. Jones  8-21-1986

Thomas J. Fox  8-22-1970

Newberry City Police Department

G. Forrest Krell  8-22-1939

South Carolina Highway Patrol

Richard V. Woods  8-19-1969

Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office

Hampton Patterson  8-26-1923

St. Matthews  Police Department

Harry C. Stabler  8-1-1943

Westminster Police Department

William J. Werner IV  8-18-1991

*************

out-of-state officers whose survivors

live in South Carolina

Belleair (GL) Police Dept.

Jeffrey Tackett  6-13-1993

Flagler Co. (FL) Sheriff’s Office

Charles Sease  7-5-2003

Georgia State Prison

James Henderson  6-3-2002

Metropolitan (DC) Police Dept.

T. F. Hamlette  7-18-1998

Michigan State Police

Bryon S. Egelski  7-11-1994

Oglethorpe Co. (GA) Sheriff’s Office

R. C. Cheek  8-5-1995

Puerto Rico Police Dept.

N. O. Ocasio  8-11-1993

US Capitol Police

Jacob J. Chestnut  7-24-1998

US Park Police (DC)

Hakin A. Farthing  8-10-2002

SC officers who served as escorts for SC families during National Police Week ceremony at the Capitol on

May 15, 2008.

Memorial Wall

NEW CAROLINA C.O.P.S. OFFICERS

TEN SOUTH CAROLINA OFFICERS

INDUCTED INTO HALL OF FAME

The following ten South Carolina fallen officers were inducted into the SC Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame in a ceremony on May 7, 2008:

Robert L. Bailey, SC Constable, EOW 5-14-2007

Kevin Carper, Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 2-27-2007

Christopher D. Corbin, US Marshall Service, EOW 3-8-1909

William B. F. Corbin, US Marshall Service, 3-8-1909

Michael Deese, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 3-9-2007

Darral K. Lane, Richland County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 12-14-2007

Eli Pittman, Greenville County Sheriff’s Office, EOW 4-30-1906

Marcus Stiles, Moncks Corner Police Department, EOW 3-26-2007

Thomas D. Tindal, Georgetown Police Department, EOW 12-25-1980

Lonnie Wells, Moncks Corner Police Department, EOW 3-25-2007

With the addition of these officers, there are now 292 SC law enforcement officers from 42 South Carolina counties who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The names of Moncks Corner Officer Lonnie M. Wells, EOW 3-25-2007, and Cpl. Marcus D. Stiles, EOW 3-26-2007, were added to the Berkeley County Law Enforcement Monument at a ceremony on May 3, 2007.

(l. to r.) front row: Mark and Darlene Jones (parents), Taylor Jones (daughter) , Cindy Miller and Mary Ellen Donahue (aunts).  Back row:  Beverly Coates, Kayla Blanks (step-daughter) , Deanna Jones (wife) , Sal Rao, Susan Parker.

On February 23, 2008, a portion of I-95 in Jasper County was dedicated in memory of Hardeeville Police Department Cpl. Mark David Jones,

EOW 2-27-2005.  The dedication ceremony was followed by the 3rd Annual Cpl. Mark D. Jones

Motorcycle Benefit Ride, the proceeds of which were donated by the family to Carolina C.O.P.S.

The interchange on 1-26 at Exit 177 in Dorchester County was named in memory of Dorchester County Cpl. Phillip Michael Deese in a ceremony held on March 9, 2008.

to those who have made donations to Carolina C.O.P.S. since the

publication of our last newsletter:

· Nicholas Claggett in memory of SCHP Sr. Trooper Michael Rao,

        EOW 6-12-2002

· Mrs. Betty Bell, Summerville, SC, in memory of Summerville Officer William Bell, EOW 11-19-2002

· Mr. Coker, Coker Landscape, Hanahan, SC

· Members of West Columbia Police Department in memory of former West Columbia Police Officer, Anthony Joseph Wittman.

· The Sworn Few, Lancaster, SC

· All who gave donations or purchased Carolina C.O.P.S. cook cooks at the Summerville Flowertown Festival

· Proceeds from the Mark David Jones Memorial Motorcycle Ride

Sgt, Kristen Grant of the Lancaster Police Department presents a check for $2,500 to Sal and Lois Rao for Carolina C.O.P.S. from The Sworn Few, a group of active and retired law enforcement officers who sponsor the RAO Motorcycle Ride each year.  The RAO Ride, was begun in memory of SCHP Sr. Trooper Michael Rao, EOW-12-02  “RAO” has now become an acronym for “Remembering All Officers”.

Captain Seth Zeigler presents a check to Beverly Coates, Board Member of Carolina C.O.P.S., from members of the West Columbia Police Department in memory of former West Columbia Police Officer, Anthony Joseph Wittman.