Thursday, May 15, 2025–12:30 p.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
21 law enforcement officers from Rome and Floyd County who have died in the line of duty will be remembered and honored Friday morning during the annual Peace Officers Memorial Service.
The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Plaza outside the joint law enforcement building in Downtown Rome.
According to Floyd County Commissioner David Thornton, there will be something new this year.
“The Rome-Floyd County SWAT team is actually going to do our 21-gun salute, and they are going to do it off the roof of the law enforcement center building,” he said.
The ceremony features an honor roll with the names of law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty, going all the way back to 1874.
According to Thornton, the 21st name was recently added.
“His name is Sgt. Jeffery Robert Smith, Berry College Police,” Thornton said. “Sgt. Smith died from complications of COVID-19 that he contracted while on duty. His tour of duty was 33 years. His badge number was #23, and he was a military veteran. He attended West Rome High School, served in the Army, and began his law enforcement career in 1988, working with Rockmart Police, and then the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office in 1996. He started as a campus police officer with Berry College, where he was quickly promoted to sergeant, serving Berry for 25 years.”
The ceremony will be emceed by Doug Walker as it has been for many years.
“Our honor roll guys this year, I’d like to mention them too, is PFC Dalton Gibbs, who is the Officer of the Year for Rome City Police,” Thornton said. “We continue to pray for him. His child—and I don’t want to say was lost, because you never lose anything when you know where it’s at—So, his child went to be with the Lord. But, Dalton Gibbs with the Rome Police Department, and then Lt. James Womack with the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, who is the Field Operations Deputy of the Year.”
Both the Rome City and Floyd County Commissions proclaimed this week as Law Enforcement Memorial Week.