By By Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star
May 16, 2001
Meridian Police officers paid tribute Tuesday to officers killed in the line of duty.
The ceremony, which began at the Meridian Police Department and ended with a wreath presentation at the Doughboy Monument, honored 165 officers killed in the line of duty in Mississippi's history.
Lt. Wade Johnson, department spokesman, said the total number of officers killed includes all law enforcement officers from the federal level to local law enforcement and military officers. During Tuesday's ceremony, Meridian officers paid a special tribute to their own fallen comrades five since 1888.
The officers recognized were: James Madison Collins, who died in 1888; Eugene L. White, who died in 1908; James H. Culpepper, who died in 1910; James Charles Boswell, who died in 1989; and Alma B. Walters, who died in 1985 during a domestic disturbance call.
Detective Joseph Boswell, brother of James Charles Boswell, gave way to tears as he spoke of the fallen officers during a reception. Several dozen officers followed Boswell to the Doughboy Monument, where a wreath was laid under a flag at half-mast.
During the ceremony, a poem was read in which a fallen officer prays his name will be the last.
After the ceremony, the Meridian Police Department Honor Guard joined other Mississippi officers in Jackson for a statewide ceremony.
Marianne Todd is a staff writer for the Meridian Star. Call her at 693-1551, ext. 3236, or e-mail her at mtodd@themeridianstar.com.