Cancer-Fighting Franklin Police Officer Gets National Honor

FRANKLIN, TN — At a ceremony Thursday, a 26-year veteran of the Franklin Police Department will be honored with a national award lauding his ongoing service despite his third cancer diagnosis.

Sgt. Paul Arnold will receive the Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Award for "outstanding and praiseworthy service to the department and the community despite a serious handicap, illness, or injury."

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In July 2016, doctors diagnosed Arnold with cancer for the third time and said it was more serious and aggressive than his previous diagnoses. Doctors gave the sergeant several treatment options — brain surgery, radiation, chemotherapy — and Arnold insisted to his doctors that his treatment not interfere with his ability to continue working for the FPD.

“Sergeant Arnold will be the first Franklin Police Officer to ever receive this national award,” said Franklin Police Chief Deborah Faulkner. “His resolve and dedication to the Franklin Police Department and the people that we serve, in the midst of battling a life-threatening illness, is a testament to his courage and strong will to serve. Sergeant Arnold epitomizes the criteria for the incredibly prestigious honor of receiving the Theodore Roosevelt Association Police Award.”

Arnold will receive his award at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Franklin Police headquarters. The public is invited.

Image via FPD