2018 KLEMF Ceremony Details Announced
The 2018 Kentucky Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation annual ceremony will be conducted Thursday, May 24 at 11 a.m., on the Department of Criminal Justice Training campus in Richmond, Ky.
This year’s ceremony will recognize the 2017 loss of Louisville Metro Police Officer Nicholas Rodman, who was killed in a vehicle crash last March. Additionally, the ceremony will recognize four historical additions: Louisville Police Officer James Harrison, Clarkson Police Town Marshal John Skaggs, Salyersville Police Chief Lewis Marshall and Kentucky State Police Sgt. David Gibbs.
Information about their ends of watch is listed below. Please join us for this year’s ceremony honoring these fallen officers.
2017 Line of Duty Death
Police Officer Nicholas Aniceto Rodman
Louisville Metro Police Department
End of Watch: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Police Officer Nick Rodman succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicle crash at the intersection of 26th and Duncan Streets during a vehicle pursuit.
Officers were pursuing a suspect who had been involved in a domestic violence incident in which shots were fired. As Officer Rodman approached an intersection, the suspect drove through the intersection at 78 mph striking Rodman’s patrol head-on.
After the collision, officers were able to free Officer Rodman from his burning patrol car and transported him to a local hospital. He succumbed to his injuries the following afternoon.
The subject being pursued was apprehended and charged with murder, assault, wanton endangerment, as well as additional charges.
Officer Rodman had served with the Louisville Metro Police Department for three years. His father and brother also work for the department. Officer Rodman is survived by his wife, son, and newborn daughter.
2018 Historical Additions
Officer James Simpson Harrison
Louisville Police Department
End of Watch: Tuesday, Aug. 2, 1881
James Harrison was shot and killed while attempting to serve a warrant for forgery in front of Kendall's Store on the Salt River Turnpike.
The warrant had been issued in Louisville and a detective had given it to Harrison because the subject was known to frequent the store in Jefferson County. When the subject arrived at the store, Harrison confronted him and read the warrant to him.
The man read the warrant himself and then pulled a pistol from his pocket and shot Harrison twice, fatally wounding him. The man fled the state and was arrested in Texas. He was returned to Kentucky where he was convicted of Harrison's murder in December 1881. On August 17th, 1884, he escaped from the Kentucky Penitentiary in Frankfort with several other inmates. He was shot and killed by a posse as they attempted to recapture him.
Harrison had served as a Louisville Police officer for 20 years. He was survived by his wife and nine children.
Town Marshal John T. Skaggs
Clarkson Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, Oct. 20, 1910
Town Marshal John Skaggs was shot and killed in Henderson, Ky., while returning a prisoner to the Henderson County Jail. The prisoner had been arrested the previous week for stealing a horse in Leitchfield.
As the marshal and the prisoner walked through Henderson's central park en route to the jail, another man approached them and fatally shot the marshal. The man and the prisoner then fled the area.
The prisoner was re-arrested after a chase in Daviess County the following week.
Chief of Police Lewis Marshall
Salyersville Police Department
End of Watch: Saturday, Nov. 6, 1937
Chief of Police Lewis Marshall was shot and killed inside the Magoffin County Jail while placing a prisoner inside a cell.
Chief Marshall had just arrested the man for being drunk in public and walked him two blocks to the county jail without searching him. As the man was being placed into the cell he produced a pistol and opened fire on Chief Marshall, fatally wounding him.
The county sheriff then locked the man into the second floor of the jail to let him cool off. Several hours later the man was discovered suffering from a gunshot wound in the abdomen. The subject subsequently died from his wound.
Chief Marshall had only served as chief of the Salyersville Police Department for three months. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Sergeant David Ray Gibbs
Kentucky State Police
End of Watch: Friday, Aug. 7, 2015
Sergeant David Gibbs was killed in a vehicle collision when his patrol car crossed the center line and struck an oncoming vehicle during a period of rain around 7:30 a.m. The wreck occurred on westbound Highway 210, near Buffalo.
Sergeant Gibbs was en route to provide a funeral escort for his grandmother's funeral when the crash occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the other vehicle was treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Kentucky State Police accident reconstruction investigators later determined an unknown slippery substance was being emitted from the highway in Sgt. Gibbs travel lane. The substance caused him to lose control of his police vehicle. In previous hours, similar accidents had occurred in the same location.
Sergeant Gibbs, who served in the U.S. Army Reserves, was survived by his son, his mother and his father - who also served with the Kentucky State Police.
2018 Officers Down to Date
***These officers will be formally recognized during the 2019 ceremony***
Police Officer Rodney Scott Smith
Hickman Police Department
End of Watch: Friday, March 2, 2018
Police Officer Rodney Smith drowned when his patrol car was washed into a flooded field off of Bernal Avenue.
The area had become flooded as a result of the overflowing Bayou de Chien. He was checking the area when he went missing at approximately 9:15 pm. Multiple agencies responded to the area and began a massive search. His body and patrol vehicle were located separately in a flooded field off of Bernal Avenue the following morning.
Officer Smith is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and mother.
Police Officer Scotty Hamilton
Pikeville Police Department
End of Watch: Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Police Officer Scotty Hamilton was shot and killed at approximately 11:30 p.m. as he and a Kentucky State Police trooper conducted criminal patrol on Hurricane Road, in the Hurricane Creek area of Pike County.
The officers were in the area as a result of recent narcotics activity when they encountered a suspicious vehicle. As Officer Hamilton checked the area for the vehicle's occupants, he encountered a man and was shot in the head.
One suspect was taken into custody at the scene. A second suspect fled the scene but was apprehended several days later.
Officer Hamilton had served with the Pikeville Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and child.
Deputy Sheriff Rusty Anderson
Barren County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: Sunday, March 18, 2018
Barren County Sheriff’s Detective Rusty Anderson died in the line of duty after suffering a heart attack minutes before leaving his home to assist other deputies with an investigation.
Anderson started his career at the Glasgow Police Department before moving to the sheriff’s department. He was a law enforcement officer for 17 years, three months and one week. Anderson had worked at the sheriff’s office for more than a decade.
Anderson is survived by his wife and two children.
Police Officer Phillip Lynn Meacham
Hopkinsville Police Department
End of Watch: Thursday, March 29, 2018
Police Officer Phillip Meacham was shot and killed while assisting another officer who was attempting to arrest an escapee on Paulette Court at approximately 5:10 pm.
Officer Meacham, who was off-duty, heard the officer call for assistance and responded to the scene. He was shot by the subject, who then stole a truck and fled to Clarksville, Tennessee. The man was located in Clarksville by local officers and United States Marshals. He was shot and killed as the officers attempted to take him into custody.
Officer Meacham had served with the Hopkinsville Police Department for one year and had previously served with the Christian County Sheriff's Office for 12 years. He is survived by his wife, daughter, and parents.
