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Officers and citizens gathered together for a solemn ceremony to celebrate and honor fallen heroes at the Officer Jeff Shelton Memorial park in Locust Tuesday, May 15. The ceremony was held during National Police Week, May 13-19–a week to honor all police who serve their country.  Superior Court Judge Kevin Bridges, a native of Stanly County, addressed the crowd with sincere words of thanks to all of the officers that attended and to the family members of Assistant Chief Ray Kennedy of the Locust Police Department killed March 3, 1991, Officer Damon Smith of the Oakboro Police Department killed April 15, 1996, and Officer Jeff Shelton of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department killed April 1, 2007.
Jennifer Shelton, wife of Officer Jeff Shelton, gave a moving speech to those assembled about the dedication of all officers that choose to serve and the families they leave behind every morning to protect the citizens.
“Law enforcement officers have a very dangerous and often thankless job. They do the job because they love it and they want to protect and serve their communities. We hope our citizens recognize the outstanding job that our officers do each day,” said a teary eyed Shelton.