The Hollywood Memorial Riders are on a cross-country trip to honor and memorialize 175 officers who have died in the line of duty and Thursday using their stop in Fort Smith they presented the widow of Sebastian County Deputy Bill Cooper with a memorial plaque.
The group honored Cooper, who was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call in a rural, wooded area near Hackett in south Sebastian Count, by presenting the plaque to Ruth Cooper in a ceremony at the Sebastian County Detention Center.
On average, 146 Law Enforcement Officers are killed in the line of duty each year.The Hollywood Memorial Riders, comprised of Los Angeles Police Officers and supporters of law enforcement. stated mission is to “pay tribute to our brothers and sisters, who have given their lives protecting and serving their communities, and to raise awareness of their sacrifice and raise funds for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.”
The group of bicyclist started their trek in Hollywood, California and will end the cross country journey at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C., covering roughly 2,980 miles during their journey.
Dennis W. McCaslin
Dennis McCaslin has been a longtime news and sports reporter for several media outlets in the Fort Smith area. He has also been a well known radio personality and play-by-play announcer for several years prior to joining InsideFortSmith.Com. He is the voice of the ArklahomaSports High School Game of the Week. E-mail: [email protected]
