Albany ceremony honors fallen law enforcement officers

ALBANY — Law enforcement officials honored those in their ranks who have died protecting the public at the annual memorial ceremony, which was conducted Thursday at the Albany Civic Center.

“The annual Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony is a way to pay tribute to those officers that have been killed in the line of duty,” said Capt. Tommy Jackson of the Dougherty County Police Department.

This year’s ceremony was hosted by the Dougherty County Police Department and included remarks from Chief Michael Persley of the Albany Police Department; Jackie Rouse, mother of fallen officer DCP Lt. Thomas Clifford Rouse; Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul, and others.

“There is an inherent danger in being the guardian of peace,” Persley said.

Those words carried a poignant truth for Jackie Rouse. Her son, an 18-year veteran of the DCP, was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 23, 2010. While responding to an armed robbery at a convenience store on Sylvester Road, Cliff Rouse was shot once in the leg and once in the abdomen just below his vest. He was transported to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. The gunman is serving a life sentence in prison.

“I will always grieve my loss,” Jackie Rouse said. “But we are going to cherish those wonderful memories for our lifetime because that is what we have remaining. If I could change the fate of my son, his daddy and I take his place, we would have. That is what parents do.”

She said, “With the utmost respect, love and gratitude I want to honor, praise and support those who are continuing to serve, those who trod the beaten paths, putting his or her life on the line each and every day, protecting and defending our rights as citizens. You see, the men and women today tread different steps than those of the past, but the criminals are the same. Back the Blue.”

Area motorcycle riders have established a memorial ride in honor of the slain officer and this year’s event, the 6th annual Lt. Cliff Rouse Memorial Ride, was the most successful yet, Rouse said, raising more than $17,500 for the Georgia Cops Foundation for assistance to the families of Georgia law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

So far in 2016, 36 officers across the nation have lost their lives in the line of duty. Two of those deaths were in Georgia. Investigator Anthony “TJ” Freeman of the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office died May 5 during a vehicle pursuit, and Maj. Gregory E. Barney of the Riverdale Police Department died Feb. 11 from gunfire.

Thursday’s ceremony in Albany was in tribute for those local peace officers who have been killed over the years: Albany Police Department Ptl. Marion C. Collins, Feb. 9, 1920; APD Chief Robert S. Wallis, Jan. 24, 1928; APD Ptl. Earl B. Crenshaw, June 8, 1956; APD Ptl. Thomas W. Dunbar, Oct. 26, 1961; APD Ptl. Randy Eugene Brown, June 10, 1979; Dougherty Sheriff’s Office Capt. Thomas Mitchell Williamson, Nov. 16, 1988; DCSO Lt. Albert Duane Clark, Nov. 16, 1988; Southwest Georgia Regional Airport Police Chief John Ross Juneau, May 2, 2003; U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Dustin J. Lee, March 21, 2007; Rouse, and APD Cpl. Terry Lewis Flemming, Oct. 28, 2011.

Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul provided closing remarks.

“We will never forget those that have given the ultimate sacrifice,” Sproul said. “Our officers deal with darkness and hate every day.”

Sproul ended by quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive hate; only love can do that.”