Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

On this the 20th anniversary of your tragic death, please know that your valor, bravery and dedication to your job is remembered.

I hope that your family continues to be supported and cared for by their law enforcement family, and other police survivors.

This reflection is sent with the utmost respect for the distinquished service Marshal Franklin gave to his community and his country, and for the supreme sacrifice he and his family made on October 27, 1989.

Phyllis Loya, mother of fallen officer
Larry Lasater, Pittsburg PD, eow 4/24/05

Anonymous

October 27, 2009

Rest in Peace, Marshal Franklin. Your sacrifice is not forgotten

Officer 11169

June 8, 2009

"The Badge"
He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.
He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.
Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.
He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.
His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.
He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.
And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.
But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.
Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.
Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.
So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.
In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.
Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.
Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

November 20, 2007

You are remembered today and thank you Sir for your service

Pat Van Den Berghe, Manchester, NH
Neighbors for a Better Manchester, NH

October 26, 2007

I remember sitting under the bridge in Garland with my great-grandfather "Papa Smead" turning on every light in the car and marveling at this man it is now that I see the legacy that this man left that I realize what a hero he really was, both as a marshall and as a man.

March 29, 2005

On the anniversary of your death, I salute you for your service and honor you for your sacrifice.

Rest in peace.

October 27, 2004