Remembering the Longest Serving Fallen Heroes

Earlier this week I wrote about the 74 fallen officers who were killed during their first day on the job. In that article I referenced the mantra that police work is a calling. Today I want to honor those officers who prove that saying to be true through their extraordinary long service in the law enforcement brotherhood.

Many officers who enter the field look forward to retiring at 20 or 25 years. Some may make it to the 30, or even 35 year mark. But only a very few continue to serve beyond that.

Reserve Deputy Henry Willeford pinned on the badge for the very first time in 1954. Over the next five decades he continued protecting the citizens of Arkansas, while raising a family of 15 children! Just those facts alone show that he was a man who cherished the lives of others. In fact, on June 13, 2002, he had just finished his shift when he encountered an obstruction in the roadway. To prevent other motorists from striking it, he blocked the lane of traffic with his patrol car and attempted to remove it from the roadway. However, he was struck by an oncoming car. He remained bedridden for the next seven years until passing away from his injuries November 16, 2009. With 55 years on the job, Reserve Deputy Willeford is the longest serving lawman known to be killed in the line duty.

In addition to Reserve Deputy Willeford, 40 other peace officers with more than four decades of service are known to have been killed in the line of duty. Combined, these 41 officers had a combined total of 1,755 years of law enforcement service! They are a true testament to the selfless giving all police officers make everyday.

Always remembered...

55 years	Reserve Deputy Sheriff Henry Jorden Willeford	Van Buren County Sheriff's Office, AR
54 years	City Marshal William Matthew Tilghman	Cromwell Police Department, OK
54 years	Investigator Jerry Crabtree	Franklin County Sheriff's Department, TN
51 years	Night Marshal Alexander Dotson Sutton	Pulaski County Sheriff's Department, MO
50 years	Deputy Sheriff John Bell Jones	Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, TN
46 years	Chief of Police W. L. Echols	Van Alstyne Police Department, TX
46 years	Patrolman Timothy Foley	Southington Police Department, CT
44 years	Police Officer Thomas M. Knevet	Hartford Police Department, CT
44 years	Chief of Police Alvis F. (Tuffy) Maddox	Childress Police Department, TX
44 years	City Marshal William E. Kelly	Oxnard Police Department, CA
43 years	Deputy Sheriff Paul Steven Habelt	Henderson County Sheriff's Department, TX
43 years	State Constable Robert Lee Bailey	South Carolina State Constable, SC
43 years	Lieutenant David T. Dunigan	Metropolitan Police Department, DC
43 years	Police Officer Thomas F. Steinacker	Baltimore City Police Department, MD
43 years	Lieutenant James F. Day	Chicago Police Department, IL
42 years	Chief of Police Jeremiah Joseph Murphy	Butte Police Department, MT
42 years	Special Deputy Marshal Stanley W. Cooper	United States Department of Justice - Marshals Service, US
42 years	Sheriff Joel L. Powers	Goochland County Sheriff's Office, VA
41 years	Deputy Sheriff Dave H. Jennings Jr.	Tallahatchie County Sheriff's Department, MS
41 years	Police Officer Norman Stinger	Philadelphia Police Department, PA
41 years	Patrolman Wilbert Wiggins Sr.	Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, FL
41 years	Chief of Police Richard Allen Brush	Point Comfort Police Department, TX
41 years	Police Officer Henry L. Eichelberger	St. Louis Police Department, MO
41 years	Town Marshal Jack O'Leary	Rapid City Police Department, SD
40 years	Corporal Edward Roy Davenport	Long Beach Police Department, CA
40 years	Chief of Police Sheridan O. Caton	Elk Lick Township Police Department, PA
40 years	Sergeant Patrick Ryan	Cleveland Police Department, OH
40 years	Chief of Police Walter Brannon Braswell	Fremont Police Department, NC
40 years	Chief of Police James Leonard Speer	Calipatria Police Department, CA
40 years	Bureau Chief Charles Mills	New York State Office of Tax Enforcement - Petroleum, Alcohol and Tobacco Bureau, NY
40 years	Patrolman Howard William Eye	Calais Police Department, ME
40 years	Constable David Thomas Palmer	Pumpkin Center Police Department, OK
40 years	County Policeman William Lee Cape	Pickens County Police Department, GA
40 years	Deputy Sheriff William C. Jackson	Trinity County Sheriff's Department, CA
40 years	Deputy Robert Bruce Parsons	Denton County Sheriff's Office, TX
40 years	Constable Hans R. Gassaway	Barren County District One Constable's Office, KY
40 years	Town Sergeant John Smith	Foster Police Department, RI
40 years	Sergeant John Cronin	Chicago Police Department, IL
40 years	Special Deputy Stephen Joseph Hahn	Eau Claire County Sheriff's Office, WI
40 years	Chief Deputy Sheriff George Miller Edwards	Union Parish Sheriff's Department, LA
40 years	Assistant Chief of Police Henry Brinkmeyer	Middletown Police Department, OH

Do you know of any officers I missed? If so, please post the information in the comment form below.