BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
STARKE— State Rep. Chuck Brannan, who introduced himself as the son of a state trooper and a career law enforcement officer himself, spoke at the Bradford-Union Law Enforcement Memorial event at Starke’s Northside Baptist Church on April 20.
Brannan, who represents Baker, Columbia, Bradford, Union and northern Alachua counties, paid tribute to fallen officers and recounted his own experiences in the field. However, he spent most of his address encouraging law enforcement officers to remain faithful to their profession.
Brannan, who retired as the chief investigator at the Baker County Sheriff’s Office, said he attended many funerals and memorials for fallen officers as the founder of the sheriff’s office honor guard.
Brannan said that as he looked around the church auditorium, he saw more than a collection of badges, uniforms and insignia.
He added that law enforcement members share a brotherhood of everyday experiences that few others can relate to.
He said law enforcement officers are members of a family that rarely celebrate victories but often gather to recognize losses.
“One time I remember coming home from a police funeral down the state, and someone said: ‘Did you know the person, Chuck?’” Brannan recalled, “and my answer was I knew him; we just had never met.”
Brannan said that because of his father’s career, he knew early that he wanted a job in the same field. He recalled that in 1966, his grandmother made a miniature replica of a state trooper uniform for him to wear during Halloween and pulled the uniform from a bag to show his Bradford-Union audience.
“That’s one of my most treasured possessions,” he said, “but I show you that to show you how far my association with law enforcement goes back.”
The lawmaker said his father served as a police officer in Live Oak for three years before graduating from the FHP academy and landing in Baker County for his first assignment.
He added that one of his earliest childhood memories was a home visit from Col. Neal Kirkman, recognized as the father of the Florida Highway Patrol.
“I remember how nervous my mother was, having these highway patrol leaders here in our home,” he said. “I guess the colonel went around and ate with the troopers because there were not as many troopers in the 1960s as there are today.”
May we never tarnish their memories
The lawmaker added that he remembers the loss of officers during this childhood.
“At only four years old, I remember sadly when Deputy Morris Fish was killed in Baker County in 1966 by a bank robber,” he said, “a tragedy that shook and shocked our little, small community of Macclenny.”
He added that Fish’s death occurred almost on the first anniversary of the murder of Trooper Sherman Lee Scott Jr. on newly opened Interstate 10 near the Baker-Columbia County line.
Brannan said that after earning a criminal justice degree at the University of Florida, he served three years with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Jacksonville before returning to his hometown.
In 1977 he founded the Baker County Sheriff’s Office honor guard. Through his role in that unit, he attended a dozen law enforcement memorial ceremonies in Tallahassee and half a dozen National Police Memorials in Washington, D.C.
“I always have a special place in my heart for the honor guard,” he said. “Those honor guard members, you saw them today, exhibit their beyond-the-call-of-duty skills and always make their agencies proud.”
Brannan said his first bill as a new legislator was to name stretches of highways after fallen FHP troopers, a practice he has continued throughout his time in Tallahassee.
He said citizens should never forget the sacrifices made by fallen officers.
“May we never tarnish their memories,” he said. “The self-sacrifice of the one who comes to us and places himself at our side for no other reason than to make right triumph over wrong is always worthy of honor.”
Stay the course
He added that a career in law enforcement is more of a calling than a job.
Brannan urged officers in the audience to stay the course, adhering to the core principles they learned at their academies.
He advised those serving now in law enforcement to make time for civilian friends, build a support group for tough times, and focus on the fundamentals of the job.
“Always show up for work as scheduled, as needed and on time,” he said. “Look the part in your uniform, just like you do today, and always take pride in it. Conduct the investigations as requested, write clear and concise reports, make the arrest, and save the life when called upon.”
The toughest jobs in America
Bradford County Sheriff Gordon Smith also spoke at the event. He said law enforcement and correctional officers have the toughest jobs in America.
“This was true in the past, and it’s even truer today,” he said.
Smith added that laws are the foundation of society, and as the caretakers of those statutes, law enforcement officers serve an indispensable role.
He added that every new officer knows that he or she may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice.
“Those that we honor tonight made that choice willingly,” he said. “Indeed, they embraced it, and that is why their ultimate sacrifice means so much.”
