Carroll Deputies Shroud Badges to Show National Solidarity

In a show of support and sadness for three police officers killed over the weekend, Carroll County deputies will cover their badges until 2015, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

“I want the citizens to know that our law enforcement officers stand united in this county and throughout the country,” Carroll County Sheriff James DeWees said in a statement issued Monday.

His remarks came after two NYPD officers were gunned down in a patrol car Saturday in Brooklyn, NY, and a Tarpon Springs Police Department officer was shot and run over while responding to a noise complaint at an apartment complex north of Tampa, FL.

“We are fortunate in Carroll County to have a community that supports its law enforcement officers,” DeWees said.

To demonstrate that Carroll County officers support their brothers and sisters nationwide, deputies will shroud their badges from Dec. 22 to Dec. 31, according to the sheriff’s office.

The display of mourning is normally reserved for when a Maryland officer dies in the line of duty but this was a time when solidarity was needed, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.

“The men and women in law enforcement put their lives on the line and walk into situations that few would have the guts to handle,” DeWees said. “We owe them a thank you and a debt of gratitude, not insults or violent acts that injure [them] or take their lives.”

Related:

• Details from NYPD, Owings Mills Shootings Surface
• Man Who Killed 2 NYPD Cops Was Owings Mills Shooting Suspect
• Son of Executed NYPD Officer Writes Heartbreaking Note to Dad
• Slain Florida Officer Was Father of 6

Graphic of Carroll County Sheriff’s Office seal modified by Patch to show what a shrouded badge looks like.