- Must-see: Mad dad slams Common Core with hilarious check to school
- Woman jumps from moving car after seeing spider, causing wreck, police say
- Child's left-handed writing allegedly called 'evil' by teacher
- Dad & kids reel in 483-lb. shark off Cape Cod
- Heads up, travelers! 'Passport crisis' could delay your plans
Clayton County police honored an officer who died in the line of duty in a ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Officers presented fallen officer Darryl Wallace’s parents with his badge—a memento that carries much meaning in his line of work.
“How your son wore this badge on a daily basis gave it meaning. The badge doesn’t make the man, the man makes the badge,” Chief Michael Register said.
A plaque in Wallace’s honor now hangs in the precinct.
During the ceremony, officers of the Clayton County Police Department opened their hearts to the parents of one of their most beloved comrades.
“There’s no greater love than a friend and a brother who will lay down his life for a friend,” SWAT officer Gazzara Hill said.
Wallace died last March while one his way to a call for help. He was 26 years old and on the force for just four months.
“I pass the tree where Officer Wallace lost his life every day. I think about him every day,” Clayton County commissioner Shana Rocks said.
The gathering included all of the officers who attended roll call with Wallace that day, and they all wanted to take part to present his badge to his mother and father.
“From a child, that’s all he wanted to do was be a police officer. We had quite a journey together. That badge represents that journey,” Wallace’s mother Andreana Merritt said.
About the Author
