State Rep. Ron Travis honors Tennessee’s fallen officers

NASHVILLE — State Rep. Ron Travis, R-Dayton, recently commemorated National Police Week and urged Tennesseans 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.

“It takes a brave and selfless person to be able to put their life on the line every day. I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones of officers who were killed in the line of duty this year,” Travis said. “We will never forget their sacrifice.”

Seven fallen officers 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.

Travis 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.

“Law enforcement officers are tasked with a dangerous and often thankless job. They go into unpredictable situations every day to protect us,” Travis said. “Passing legislation that increases the penalty for those who want to hurt them is one way we can support our officers and hopefully keep it from happening in the future.”

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.

Ron Tavis represents District 31 which includes Bledsoe, Rhea, Sequatchie and Van Buren Counties.