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It began with a lapel pin, a simple affair made of a black and white ribbon bearing a silver shield. Thousands were sold across the community.
The money raised from the pins went toward a monument, a little piece of Orangeburg set aside to remember those who died for the city.
“I realize that most of you bought these pins in Tommy’s memory, and all the money has helped us to see the unveiling of the monument in his memory,” said Shaye Harrison, in a letter to the community four months after the death of her husband, Orangeburg City Police Sgt. Tommy Harrison. “This monument will also honor the law enforcement personnel that still make sacrifices daily.”
On Friday, the public is invited to attend the annual Public Safety Memorial Service that started with a lapel pin 14 years ago. The service is scheduled to take place at Memorial Plaza in downtown Orangeburg at 10 a.m.
The ceremony has been held each year in Orangeburg since Harrison’s death in 1993, the first service being held on May 2 of that year.
On Jan. 15, 1993, Harrison answered a bad check call at the Prince of Orange Mall. After arriving, he was shot point-blank six times.
“Unfortunately, in our profession, we have people who make the ultimate sacrifice,” Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Chief Wendell Davis said. “We had, several years ago, Tommy Harrison, and the Highway Patrol has had some, and the Sheriff’s Office. And we had Captain (James) Myers.”
Tragedy struck again July 18, 2004 when Orangeburg Department of Public Safety Capt. James Myers was killed during a Virginia man’s crime spree.
“What we want to do is remember these people in an appropriate manner,” Davis said. “We recognize these who died in the line of duty, and those who died in service. We also recognize those who have been previously associated with law enforcement.”
First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe is scheduled as the guest speaker.
A few years after Harrison was gunned down at a department store, his widow, Shaye Harrison collapsed of heart failure.
“I hope that each and every one of you reading this will come to the dedication ceremony and help us honor Tommy once more,” Shaye Harrison wrote in her letter years before Myers’ death. “On a daily basis, please wear the pin against crime. By wearing this pin, you are telling the criminals that we are not going to take it anymore.”
In the event of rain, the service will be moved to nearby Stevenson Auditorium.