BY RACHEL DOVE
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

INEZ — Each December and throughout the first week of the new year, Martin County Sheriff John Kirk and his staff decorate a wall in the sheriff’s office dedicated to law enforcement who made the ultimate sacrifice during the preceding 12 months. The wall honors seven fallen officers in Kentucky in 2022 and serves as a somber reminder that returning home each evening after the shift is a blessing not to be taken for granted by any officer.

Kirk will be the first to tell you there is not a morning that goes by that he doesn’t pray for hedges of protection around his officers and those serving elsewhere.

“We none know when our time is up or how we will leave this world, but members of law enforcement are all too aware that when they leave their home each day, there is always a chance they won’t return,” Kirk said. “Still, they climb into their cruiser and mark up with dispatch. They remain committed to protecting the residents they serve and work hard to hold those accountable that commit crimes and get them off the streets. As the saying goes, ‘When others run away from danger, we run to it.’ That’s the nature of the job.”

2022 was difficult for the Eastern Kentucky law enforcement family, as three officers and a K-9 lost their lives in a June 30 shootout in Floyd County. Several others were seriously injured, leaving the community in shock and grief. The event stands as a cold reminder that a career in law enforcement is not without pain and suffering and comes with a greater risk than most others.

The seven officers killed in Kentucky in 2022 include:

Officer Jacob Russell Chaffins, Prestonsburg Police Department (EOW July 1)

Captain Ralph Harlow Frasure, Prestonsburg Police Department (EOW June 30)

Deputy Sheriff/Retired State Trooper William Edward Petry, Floyd County Sheriff’s Department (EOW June 30)

Officer Logan K. Medlock, London Police Department (EOW Oct. 30)

Chief Deputy Sheriff Jody Wayne Cash, Calloway County Sheriff’s Office (EOW May 16)

Deputy Sheriff James Critchelow, Ohio County Sheriff’s Office (EOW April 20)

School Resource Officer Travis Hurley, London Police Department (EOW Jan. 27)

“When a fellow officer is killed, no matter where he served, our hearts hurt and we feel the loss,” said Kirk.

Across the country, 229 law enforcement officers, including the seven from Kentucky, died in the line of duty. The total line-of-duty deaths of officers in the United States stands at 26,141, with two already reported in 2023. In 2022, Texas suffered the greatest loss, reporting the line-of-duty deaths of 33 officers. New York and California were next with 12 deaths each, followed by Georgia with 11.

Of the officers killed last year, 207 were male and two were female.

A total of 25 K-9 deaths were also reported last year, with 11 of those a direct result of gunfire.