On average, a police officer dies in the United States every two days. In Mississippi, 331 officers have died in the line of duty. Winston County has lost four law enforcement officers, and on Sunday, May 21, members of multiple agencies gathered together to honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
These individuals include: Joe Clay, a highway patrol officer who died in 1974; Darrell Cooper, a Louisville Police Department officer (March 2000); Robert McLeod, an agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (September 1989); and Neishell Jordan, also with the Louisville Police Department (May 2022).
The solemn service was led by LPD chaplain Matthew Nansel, who utilized passages from Ezekiel and The Beatitudes to illustrate the importance of law enforcement in the community. Nansel spoke of officers offering to “stand in the gap” and how this effort keeps all of us safe. He related that officers expose themselves to danger in order to protect members of the community, and he tied that to the lives lost by Winston County natives in the line of duty.
In his ending, Nansel reminded the officers “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and he thanked them on behalf of the community for their efforts.
Nansel’s heartfelt comments were bolstered by two beautiful songs. E-911 employee Patricia Coleman sang “The Lord’s Prayer,” and Lee Smith sang “I Can Only Imagine.”
Others participating in the ceremony included LPD Chief Sean Holdiness, who opened the ceremony and welcomed those attending. Chief Holdiness was joined by the mayor, Will Hill, in presenting a beautiful shadowbox to the family of Neishell Jordan. The shadowbox included Ms. Jordan’s uniform blouse, her badge and various pins. Jordan’s brothers, Robert Hoskins and Assistant Chief Ed Hunt, accepted the memento on behalf of the family.
At the end of the ceremony, the officers from the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and LPD dispersed to place wreaths on the graves of their fallen officers.
