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National Police Week: Peace Officers Memorial Day

05/15/2023

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which the day falls as National Police Week. At the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., there is a quote engraved on the wall that reads, "It is not how these officers died that made them heroes, it is how they lived." On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during National Police Week, we honor the fallen heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect their communities, and we celebrate the courage of these heroes and of law enforcement officers across the country. Locally, eight heroes have died protecting Faulkner County. These include four representatives of the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office and four representatives of Conway Police Department. On Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 5:30pm to 7:00pm, law enforcement from surrounding departments will come together at Simon Park to honor these heroes and lay a single rose in the memory of each of them. Today, on Peace Officers Memorial Day, we pause to remember their service and sacrifice, and we pray for the family members they left behind. 

Fallen Heroes from Faulkner County Sheriff's Office:

  • Deputy Oscar L. Honea was killed by gunfire on October 22, 1914.
  • Deputy William E. Hathaway was killed by gunfire on August 5, 1931.
  • Investigator Jimmy Wooley died on August 5, 2003, as a result of a fall while investigating a theft.
  • Deputy Hans Fifer died on April 8, 2013, after suffering from a medical event during SWAT training.

Fallen Heroes from Conway Police Department:

  • Patrolman Robert W. "Bob" Martin was killed by gunfire on March 24, 1981.
  • Patrolman Barry Kent McDaniel was killed by vehicular assault on April 2, 1982.
  • Patrolman Lawrence Ray Noblitt was killed by gunfire on November 7, 1988.
  • Patrolman William "Will" McGary died on February 1, 2013, as result of being struck by car while directing traffic around an accident.

A hero remembered never dies. 

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