Police Unity Tour honors Guerry
Last Updated on 12/1/2008
Published on 5/4/2008
Written by Scott Harper
The Police Unity Tour (PUT), made up of law enforcement officers from across the United States, began their 1,000-mile trek in Brunswick, Ga. last month and are biking to Washington D.C. where they will hold a final service at the National Police Officer's Memorial.
The PUT began in 1997 to bring awareness to the problem of officers dying in the line of duty and to honor their sacrifices, according to Federal agent Kevin Whalen, one of the riders in Georgetown Friday.
Friday's ceremony began with the riders -- as a bagpiper played in the background -- carrying the American Flag into the Georgetown Police Department, which is named in Guerry's honor.
Guerry, who had worked at the Georgetown Police Department for 15 years, made what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop in March 1994. The driver of the car, David Clayton Hill of Georgetown, opened fire on 37-year-old Guerry and he died two days later.
Hill was put to death by lethal injection in March 2004.
At the conclusion of the brief service Friday, Whalen and Officer William Killgallon placed a wreath beneath Guerry's portrait which is on display in the police department lobby.
Sally Guerry, Maj. Guerry's widow, then placed a bracelet on the wrist of Lt. George Perkins who will wear it until the group reaches the Memorial. He will then mail it back to Guerry for a keepsake.
"To know our loved one is still being remembered is such an honor," Guerry said at the ceremony.
Not only does the PUT -- whose motto is "we ride for those who died" -- hold services for fallen officers, the group also raises funds. Whalen said the group will donate $1 million to the Police Memorial Fund this year.
Tindal to be honored
A former Georgetown police officer who died in 1980 from injuries he received in an on-duty vehicular accident in 1965 will be honored in Columbia this week.
On Wednesday, the name of Thomas Devon Tindal will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall at the Law Enforcement Academy.
Tindal was 24-years-old on Christmas Day 1965, and was on routine patrol when another vehicle ran a stop sign at the corner of Hazard and Emanuel streets and crashed into his police car.
The other driver was killed. Tindal and partner Freddie Shelley were injured in the accident.
Tindal was paralyzed from the neck down as a result of his injuries.
He died as a result of the injuries on Christmas Day 1980 -- 15 years to the day after the accident. According to newspaper accounts, his death occurred within 10 minutes of the exact time of the 1965 crash.
Tindal's son, Thomas Devon Tindal Jr. was the driving force behind the move to have his father's name added to the memorial wall. He got the idea when he was visiting Georgetown and saw the memorial for Guerry at Francis Marion Park.
His name was supposed to be added to the wall in 2005 -- the same year it was added to the National Memorial -- but was rejected because organizers did not see proof that his death -- because it was so long after the accident -- was the result of a line of duty incident, according to Police Capt. Nelson Brown.
Coroner Kenny Johnson had to research the record and write a report showing the connection before Tindal was accepted by the Memorial Committee, Brown said.
