OLDHAM COUNTY POLICE PRESS RELEASE
On May 17, 2010, the 10th Annual Peace Officer’s Memorial was held in Oldham County. Under the direction of Oldham County Police Department (OCPD) Chaplain Jim Powell, the Memorial honored the lives of 132 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty over the last year.
The ceremony was held in the LaGrange Baptist Church on Commerce Parkway in LaGrange, Kentucky, providing a beautiful setting for a moving service honoring the 132 heroes.
The guest speaker for the event was Colonel Jack Poe, Chaplain of the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Police Department. Chaplain Poe spoke eloquently on the dynamic of duty related sacrifice, was on the scene of the horrific bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, during which 168 people lost their lives and 680 were injured.
OCPD Officer Tom Douglas was recognized at the memorial, being awarded the OCPD Meritorious Service Citation, for an act of bravery within the community in which his act preserved a life.
Chaplain Jim Powell was recognized for his labor of love in directing the Peace Officer’s Memorial for the past ten years and for other actions in doing God’s work in the Oldham County Community. The recognition took the form of a crystal cross bearing Chaplain Powell’s OCPD Bade #360 and a suitable inscription.
The official program printed for the occasion had a copyrighted picture of Michael the Archangel, who is often referred to as the “Patron Saint” of law enforcement officers. Special permission to use the picture was granted to Chaplain Powell from the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum in Titusville, Florida, only the sixth time in the last 20 years that such permission was granted.
OCPD Chief Michael Griffin participated in the program, making the presentations to Officer Tom Douglas and Chaplain Jim Powell. Chief Griffin, who is retiring on September 1, 2010, was joined in the program by his oldest grandson, 14-year-old Michael Griffin. The younger Griffin placed a bronze statue of St. Michael on a table in front of the church in honor of the 132 law enforcement heroes.
In addition to the 132 departed heroes, two K-9 dogs lost their lives in service to their communities. As a tribute to them, OCPD Officer Thomas Moore walked his K-9 partner, “Reggie,” into the ceremony, rendering honors to those K-9’s.
Pictured above are Chief Michael Griffin and His grandson Michael
