Law enforcement supporters in Mississippi are remembering officers who were killed in the line of duty. MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports.
Family members and others are gathering at the Fallen Officers Memorial Service in Jackson. Keith Tartt of Grenada attended the ceremony in honor of his brother, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics agent Lee Tartt, who was killed in 2016.
"It's tough," said Tartt. "It's had a lot of impact on our family. It's changed some dynamics in the family holidays. We were very, very close. We spent a lot of time together and it's had a pretty dramatic impact in all of that."
Chris Johnson is a lieutenant with the Hattiesburg Police Department. He says while hearing about officers being killed raises some concerns about his own safety, he can't let that stop him from doing his job.
"Really in law enforcement, policing, there is no time for fear," said Johnson. "Fear will cause great injury to someone when injury is not needed. So it's a concern but it's nothing that we fear."
Public Safety Commissioner Marshall Fisher says it's important to remember the slain officers and their families.
"It's important that we recognize them," said Fisher. "It's important that we take this time to recognize their families. Because their loved one paid the ultimate sacrifice. But they're paying for their sacrifice every day for as long as they live because it never leaves them."
According to the website, The Officer Down Memorial Page, in 2018, there were four line of duty deaths in Mississippi.
