Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

My condolences to the Bell family and all of the officers at the Summerville Police Department. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Sgt. Blaine Locklair
Trident Technical College Department of Public Safety

Rest well my Brother, your shift is over. My prayers are with the family and friends. May God Bless and keep.

CO Loyd Williamson
Alaska Dept of Corrections

William,

You always set an example for others to follow by your dedication, desire, pride and commitment. If every officer had the love of their profession and the commitment you displayed, this world would truly be a better place. All the men and women of this Department are suffering with your family and grieving for your loss, but will be stronger better, better people for having known you.

I have never seen anyone as proud as you were the day you were sworn in as a full-time officer. Your excitement and heartfelt joy made me proud to know that you would be working for me.

When a state legislator takes the time to let me know how professional, polite and kind you were as well as what a great image you projected for our Department, I knew you would be a great officer. You set the standard for kindness, compassion, professionalism and friendship for others to follow.

You will not be forgotten. We will ensure that a statue of a police officer, made in your likeness, is commissioned and placed at Alston Middle School so that you will always be able to "watchout" for your children.

This Town, your law enforcement family and friends will never forget you. I thank you for being the man you were and for working for me. You make me proud.

Chief Roy Whitehead
Summerville Police Department

Thank you for your dedicated service.... God speed my brother.

Patrolman
West Jordan, Utah

William, This is the hardest letter I have ever written. Words can't express the pain I feel every time I walk into the squad room and expect to see you there smiling, and laughing with everyone in the room. Pain overcomes me when I realize that you are not there, and I will not see you again in this lifetime. I don't think you ever realized what a great officer you were, and I "really and truly" regret not telling you. My only comfort is in knowing you gave your life doing what you loved so much. You will always be remembered. Love, Rick

Cpl. Rick Peeples
Summerville Police Department

My dearest friend and team mate, I can still see and hear you standing there arguing with me that night you were taking from us. I told you several times I would take that call and several times you told me to get my butt back inside. That night I blamed myself for your death and I know if you were here today you would tell me I am being foolish. I feel so proud and honored to know you for as long as I have. You always were there to help me through the tough times when I needed it and I thank you for that. I just wish I could of told you how I felt before it was to late. I know you are in a better place now standing guard at the gates of heaven and one day GOD willing I will join you and you will be my FTO. I felt that I had let you down that night thinking to myself there was something I forgot to tell you while I was training you. But I know I am being foolish again. Willy your smile and your kndness is helping me cope and one day I hope I can be half the man you were. Willy your team misses you dearly. The other night when I was feeling down, I called your cell phone just to hear your voice which brought a calmness to me and I knew I was going to be ok. Willy I miss you.

Anonymous

I am writing this with tears running down my cheeks. I didn't have the pleasure of knowing Officer Bell personally, but by reading the reflections left for him I can tell he was a terrific person who will be more than well missed. Try to let his memories give you the strength to move on without him. He is now watching over all of us. God Bless

Anonymous

Dear William

As I sit here I have many things to say but have difficutly finding the words. I will always remember the nights you would call me on the phone while on a call asking me questions. Most of the time I wouldn't give you the answer, but instead ask you a question. You would then realize you had the answer. Then I'd say to you "us old dogs take a little longer to learn new tricks". You would make comments that you were not progressing as well as you should. William, you don't know how knowledgeable you were and how much professionalism and dedication you had. YOU ARE THE EXAMPLE FOR ALL OTHERS!!

My Family's "game room" will forever be a reminder of you. I go to the room and I still see you there, blue jeans and shirt, and you're ball cap on backwards. You're desire to perform the best and be the best was not only in uniform, but life as a whole. Our conversations about police work, carpentary, the Lord and life in general will always be in my heart, as it is in yours.

You have touched so many, many hearts. Your passion for life and the kindness to others will always be a reminder to me to be a better person.


William, my friend, I will truly miss.

Your Friend, Steve Allison

Cpl Steve Allison
Summerville Police Department

Almost three years ago to the date, I was sitting in the waiting room with Mr. Bell(if he knew I was calling him Mr. Bell, he would swat me good!) at East Cooper Hospital awaiting the birth of his first grandson, Tanner. Valarie and I have been best friends since we were 13, and I have also known Mr. Bell that long. Bless his heart, Mr. Bell was sitting in the chair across from me and and we were talking about everything under the sun. We were in there for about 5 hours mind you. Evertime he would hear a womans voice, or a door close, he would literally jump out of his chair and run to the door. "Do you think that was her?" he would ask. "No Mr. Bell, that was just the nurse." He would sit down and we would start talking again, and up he jumps again. "Do you think she had the baby yet?" "No Mr. Bell, they will come and get us as soon as the baby is born." A few more minutes go by, and you guessed it, he's at the door again. "Do you think that was her? Is she okay?" "Yes Mr. Bell, she is okay, they will come out and get us in a few minutes." I think they had to replace the carpet from him pacing the floor! Gail shows up in the door way and without a word Mr. Bell flies through the door and down the hall. And that was all she wrote, after that Mr. Bell was in a world of his own! He was soo proud of Valarie and Doug and the new life that they brought into the world... his grandson. And all of you grandparents out there know the pride that comes with being a grandparent! When we were kids, I would go over to Vals house after chruch or whatever and you could hear her dad yell across the house "VALARIE" and I promise Val and Gail looked like the cartoon people jumping 2 feet off the ground, running in place a few seconds and all you could see was smoke! They loved and still love their father so much, you could just feel it. And anyone who knew him, know what I am talking about. He respected everyone that he came in contact with, young and old. Yet, I have never known anyone that is and will always be so respected.
When he saw my husband Shannon at work he would always say, "How's Penny and the boy? I would really like to see them."
If you love someone, tell them. Never take that special gift for granted. It is such a blessing to feel such a powerful emotion. We will miss you Mr. Bell. We will never stop thinking of you, we will never stop missing you and most importantly we will never stop respecting you.
Save a place for us up there and keep watch over all of your fellow officers. They all need someone like you on their shoulder. All of our love...

Penny Sharp
Wife of Shannon Sharp / L-51 - Summerville Police Department

Dear Dad,
I don't know where to go from here. Right now I am lost without you. I sit here in disbelief. YOU CAN'T BE GONE. I still feel you near me. I keep thinking about our dinners together and our nightly "dates" on the phone after the kids went to bed. You and I spoke for hours about everything. There was nothing that we didn't share with each other. I think that we were so much alike that we were destined to be best friends, even if we were already father and daughter. We spent the happiest times of our lives together. On my 17th birthday, you took me to New Orleans, just the two of us. You paid a street band to play me "happy birthday", and we stayed up late every night in our hotel room talking and forming the beginnings of a beautiful friendship. For my wedding, you stood with me in the moonlight and told me that I was the most beautiful woman you had ever seen. When Tanner was born, your face was covered in tears. When you held him, you said that it was the happiest and proudest moment of your life. I was proud to have given you the greatest gifts in your life. And they were--Tanner and William Cole were your greatest possessions. At your academy graduation, you beamed with pride. It was your dream come true. You lived your whole life for that day. You were proud to work at Summerville, and for the first time, you loved what you did.

My last moments with you I will always treasure. The Thursday before you died, you called me and said, "I'm hungry. Do you have any dinner left?" I said, "Yes", but first you wanted to know what it was. I guess that you would've kept driving if I had said that I had cooked something you didn't like. But you did like what I had. It was an old favorite of yours. You said, "Umm, I'm in your area." Within a minute you were there, and we greeted with a hug and kiss. The kids were already in bed, but for reasons which I will be forever thankful of, I woke them both up so they could see you. You played with your boy Tanner, running around the kitchen trying to get a kiss from him. Then I brought the baby out, and you sat on the couch and ran your fingers through his curly hair. You said, "look at these curls. He is so beautiful", as you rolled his hair in your fingers. You stayed for a while and played. Once I put them back to bed, you ate a quick bite and were dispatched to another call. You said you had to go and kissed me on the lips and held me tight. We spoke for another minute and then you kissed me and held me again, extra long this time. I snuggled my head in your neck. You were a short man and smelled so good; snuggling in your neck made me feel so secure. I wish that moment would last forever. It would be the last time you would see me and your baby boys.

The night before you died, I spoke to you three times. In our third call, I called you to make sure that you knew that I appreciated you. I thanked you again for running an errand for me, and you AGAIN apologized for not being able to complete it. That night, I told you that I felt like a bad mom for having so much chaos in the house tonight. You told me that I was a good mom and that I was doing a great job. You assured me that you would be at Tanner's birthday party on Friday night. You said that you "wouldn't miss it for the world." We spoke for several more minutes just opening our heart to each other as always. At the end of the call I said, "I love you dad" and you said "I love you too darling." Those were our last words together. We didn't realize that we were saying goodbye.

Doug called me the next night to tell me that you were in an accident and that I needed to pray. I tried my best to get to you. I didn't want you to die alone. Tanner prayed to Jesus, "Dear Jesus, please fix my pop-pop's boo-boo. AMEN." A minute later, he called again to say that he was by your side and that you had died. I screamed and cried. Tanner grabbed my face and told me, "mommy, it's alright."

Dad, I can't imagine when in my life it will ever be alright again. You were my daddy. You were my best friend. You were the pop-pop to my two boys. You gave your all to be a police officer, and then you gave your all being a police officer. But, I know that you wouldn't have had it any other way. Chaplain Blalock was right, dad. You did die doing what you loved, but you also lived doing what you loved.

The men and women that you once called friends are now your family. Your chief, your department, your teammates, your dispatchers have become family because they love you more than a man could love a mere friend. The children you would cross at school in the morning might grown up to be better adults because they knew you. Your sons-in-laws who you loved like sons will forever try to live up make their "dad" proud. Gail Michelle will always be your princess. I will always be your darling, your honey and your best friend. And, Tanner and Cole will be raised to love you and to be the same kind of man you are. I will not let them forget you. They will be your legacy.

I placed two pictures in your arms when you were buried, one picture of two grandsons and another picture of me and Gail. A large piece of us left with you, and so you didn't go alone.

I will always love you, dad.

VALARIE BELL WRIGHT
DAUGHTER of WILLIAM B. BELL

Officer Bell,
As I sit here with tears in my eyes, I ponder where do I begin? I regret that I didn't know you longer. You made a lasting impression upon me and changed my life forever. You reminded me that I am young and that I can fulfill my dreams. You encouraged me to return to school and live that dream. I wish that after I changed jobs I would have been able to see you again to tell you that I am in College. You always had that smile on your face and a caring heart. I wish you were still here, but I know God has His plan and you are his angel. Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and, we are never, ever the same. I wish I was given the chance to tell you that you changed my life forever. You will always be in my heart and prayers. May you always rest in peace. A man with dedication and a heart~ A TRUE AMERICAN HERO. I pray I can be dedicated to my passion just as you were, sir.

Heather Augustine
Summerville, SC

William,
Being a Brother-in-Law to Doug gave me the privilege of knowing you for quite some time. Each time we met was a pleasure, with a firm hand-shake and a smile. You always asked sincerely how Christy and the boys were and listeded earnestly as I expressed the latest activities we were involved with. You will definitely be missed and have certainly left your mark on your brothers and sisters in blue at the Summerville Police Department. I knew we had a special department before the incident, however the days that followed it, I observed a closeness that I'd never seen before. As we prepared for the send off, there was a peace at the department. Everyone was helping each other in any way they could. For example, It's not everyday that you see a Detective sewing on shirt patches, or the lady's in our Records Division giving haircuts, but it was happening. It happened because of you, William. You were one of a kind. I hope we can live up to your example, Sir.

Cpl. Tim Glover
Summerville Police Department

William,
I am having trouble putting into words just how special you are to me. Since the first day that we met when Tracy brought me home, you and I had a special bond. You have made me be the best man that I could have possibly been. Everything that I do I put 110% into it because that is how you did anything. It made me so happy when you would come over and see what I have done around the house. You are a lot of the reason that I would make sure my driveway was edged and lawn was always cut, I knew that you would notice those things when you came over. You were always so proud of me and treated me like a son. I am going to have a lot of trouble moving on without you William, you were my father, my brother, and my best freind. I enjoyed the Friday and Saturday nights that Tracy, Debra, you and I would go walk around Lowes and just talk about home improvements. You and I had so much in common, I really regret that we put off the trip to Paris Island. I know that trip would have been another great time that we could have shared. I am going to miss sharing stories with you, I always looked forward to seeing you, whether it was Police or Marines we always had something to talk about. We were both living our dreams together. Now I have to try and pick up the pieces and make you proud. I will do my best always for you William and will continue living our dream. You have made me a better man for just knowing you and for that I am grateful. We joked around about me being "minnie me", I wish that you only knew how proud of that I am. I have so many happy memories that I could share, but I think that I will save some for just you and me.

In loving memory of William B. Bell

Christopher P. McElman
(son-in law, friend, and brother in blue)

William Bell - a "peacemaker" - a child of God....truly!
+Amen+

L-78
Summerville Police Department

I did not know the two men who gave of themselves to protect and serve the public, and lost their lives doing what they loved and believed in. I have seen Officer Bell at the school crossing, and the love he had for his job was in his eyes and the way he postured himself. I admire Officer Bell and Officer Wright for their dedication to the public, and may God have a special assignment for you both in heaven. God bless the families of both Great Men!

A-7, Dorchester County EMS

Captain, R. Allen Haynes
Dorchester County EMS

I do not know where to begin, Patrolman Bell (or Mr.Bell,as I called him) "is" a model Officer, he "is" a great asset to the Summerville Police Department. I have never seen the man in a bad mood. He always had a sharp uniform appearance, and ready to go to work. Mr. Bell, you are gone but I can assure you that you will not be forgotten. Your memory will live on in the Summerville Police Department, and the Town of Summerville forever, I will see to that. You have touched so many lives within the department,your family, and within our community. I wish I had the opportunity to get to know you better. I have been with the Department for sixteen years and and have never had to deal with anything like I had to deal with on the night of Mr. Bell's death, and pray to god that none of us have to go through that again. I recall that night I was at a ceremony in town with the Chief and a few other officers of our department. I was standing with some Firemen and heard tones drop for an auto pedestrian. I started responding and was called by a Sgt. on scene telling me that an officer was down. When I arrived and was told, I was in shock, and could not and did not want to beleive that Mr. Bell was gone. I called for the Chaplain, and that was the most difficult radio transmission that I have ever had to make. The healing will take time, and the officers of The Summerville Police Department will pull through our tragic loss of Patrolman William B. Bell together. To the family of Mr. Bell, you will always be a part of us and we are here for you now and forever. Mr. Bell you are gone but you will never be forgotten. Please watch over your family, friends and your Summerville Police Department.

Captain Frank A. Nigro Jr.
Summerville Police Department

Oh William, there are so many things I wish you would know. I hope that you know what's in my heart and not just what I can put into words. I will try and make this short, sweet and to the point, but I know that will be hard to do b/c that is not what our relationship was. All I can do now is remember our relationship and the memories we have made. I know you have known me since I was about 2 years old, when you and mom were just friends, but the best memories of you come from many years later when you married my mother. I was about 17 then and of course going through my rotten teenage years. But that didn't stop you from trying to give me all the love you could. And boy did you win me over when you let me drive your new firebird and then your new grand am. How many men would let a punky kid do that? You have been an awesome friend to me. And when I brought Chris home we all knew there was an instant chemisry and that he would fit right in. I was definitely going to have to marry "Mini Me". The four of us (you, mom, Chris and me) were the best of friends and we will miss you terribly~For the memories we made and the memories we will not be able to make. Thank you so much for everything you have done for for Chris and me. I will never be able to go a day without a thought of you in my mind and heart. I am waiting to tell you all the stories of everything you are missing and going to miss. It is going to be so hard to move on. Please watch over us ALL. Mom loves and misses you so much! And now when Chris comes home with new power tools or police "toys" I guess he is going to expect me to be excited for him and talk to him about them they way you would and did. Please know that no one will ever take your place. You are one in a million. I am so lucky I got to see you that day before you left for work and I was at least able to tell you goodbye and have a few more laughs, I only wish I knew that it was going to be the last time. I would have told you so much more. But William, I love you, miss you and am so proud of you!

More then a step daughter, also a friend
Tracy Filipiak McElman

William you will be missed by all who came across your path. My family and I will miss you greatly and I regret not gettin to know you better. We thank you for your work done on our home and you will be though of during every game of pool that I play in the room you helped make happen. You have left behind a wonderful family and many friends, me being one of them. Your a hero to everyone who knew you and should be a hero to even those that didnt know you personally. Rest In Peace, Sir.

Craig Allison

My heart goes out to the family, friends and brothers in blue of this hero. He gave his life doing what he did best. After reading his reflections, I feel he truly was a great hero, and we all could learn from him. He is now keeping watch from above with the other fallen heroes.

Everyday I would come into work, you were there, Officer Bell, smiling and laughing. Everytime you signed on the radio, I would smile and say there goes Officer Bell. Everytime you came to the station to get some paperwork, you stopped by dispatch and made sure we were doing ok. I remember a couple of months back, you were at the station every Saturday refinishing the benches in the court. I will truly miss your smile and laugh. From the bottom of my heart, We all miss you in dispatch.

Paige Lynn Dennis (Billings)
Summerville Police Department

William, the last thing you said to us that day was" I'll see you girls in the morning" We are still waiting to see that smile again. We miss you.

Mary
Flowertown

Our deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Patrolman Bell. You are in our prayers.

John and Sharon Slater
Father-in-law & mother-in-law to
Rick Brown

My life will never be the same. I love you william so much that you would never even have been able to imagine. Just because I called you by your name, doesnt mean that you werent a father to me. You were always there for me when i needed you. There's so many things that I regret not showing my honest appreciation and respect for. You not only made me and my brother and sisters happy and thankful, but you made my mother happy and introduced her to the best years of her life. My biggest fear is that you went without knowing the extent of my love for you. I will miss you so much. Thank you for everything and I thank God for blessing our family with you! Living with your memories!

Rachel Filipiak
mourning step daughter

I only got to see William a few times - but the times I spent with him were filled with laughter. He was a very special person. He was so good to my brother Chris. My brother moved to South Carolina while in the marines and married Williams step daughter. William and his wife treated Chris as a son and for that we will always be grateful. Chris lives many states away from our parents and to have someone treat him so well was comforting. Chris looked up to William and always spoke so highly of him. My brother is a police officer also and I am sure that everyday when he puts on his uniform William will be there with him in his heart. My love and prayers go out to all of his family and to his fellow officers - I am so sorry for your loss. I know that he will be looking over all of you and will keep you safe.
God Bless Willliam and ALL of the heros that give up so much to "protect and serve".
Lisa (Steve, Corey and Coral)

William,
You left us before it was time, but you left your mark. We shared much in common, we were bothers in green and blue. We were both Pop Pop to our grandsons Tanner and Cole.We were to meet at Chuckie Cheese Friday night at 6pm for Tanner's birthday party. Instead of the party,we had your funeral. A very sad day indeed, but a day that honored your time on earth before the send-off you so deserved. We have known each other for awhile, your daughter Valarie married my son Doug. Doug always had the utmost respect for you and was very proud to have been able to work side by side in the same department with you. I too was proud to have known you, and pleased to see you finally fulfill your dream and join the rest of the family in the brotherhood of blue. You will be missed, but not forgotten. Rest assured, our grandsons will always know who their other Pop Pop was, we won't let them forget. God Bless you brother, save a space for me up there.
Semper Fi!
Ray

Lieutenant
Isle of Palms PD