NASHVILLE, Tenn. – State Rep. Greg Martin, R-Hixson, today commemorated National Police Week and urged citizens of Hamilton County to honor and remember law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, as well as the family members, friends, and fellow officers they left behind.
The names of 282 officers killed in the line of duty will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., on May 15.
“Our men and women in blue represent the best of America. We should support and protect them every day of the year,” Martin said. “National Police Week is an important time to reflect on the officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make their communities safer. Tennessee will always back law enforcement and ensure they have the resources necessary to safely and efficiently do their jobs.”
Seven of the fallen officers being added to the memorial are from Tennessee and include Sgt. James Russ, Chattanooga Police Dept; Deputy Tucker Blakely, Knox County Sheriff’s Office; Sgt. William Cherry, Macon County Sheriff’s Office; Deputy Shannon Lang Sr., Marion County Police Dept.; Officer Geoffrey Redd, Memphis Police Dept., and Chief Christopher Cummings, Samburg Police Dept. Town Marshal Thomas Neely, Middleton Police Dept., was killed in the line of duty in 1899.
Martin and his Republican colleagues took steps this year to strengthen laws to protect police officers against assault with the Back The Blue Act.
The new law, which goes into effect July 1, offers additional protections that will enhance the penalty for assault against a law enforcement officer from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class E felony punishable by a mandatory minimum 60-day sentence and a $10,000 fine.
“This law is another tool to protect our great law enforcement officers. I was proud to support it and I look forward to finding additional ways to back the blue,” Martin said.
In Tennessee, assaulting a first responder, including nurses, firefighters, and emergency services personnel, is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail and a $5,000 fine. Assault includes knowingly causing bodily injury or knowingly causing offensive physical contact, including spitting, throwing or transferring bodily fluids, human pathogens or waste onto a first responder.
There were 1,603 simple assaults on law enforcement officers last year in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Sixty police officers across Tennessee have died in the line of duty since 2019, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit dedicated to honoring fallen officers across the United States.
State Rep. Greg Martin represents House District 26, which includes part of Hamilton County. He is a member of the Government Operations Committee, Local Government Committee, Transportation Committee, Joint Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Agriculture Subcommittee, and the Property and Planning Subcommittee.
