A new memorial honoring police officers who were killed in the line of duty stands in front of the Fayetteville Police Department at 100 W. Rock Street in downtown Fayetteville.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
A police memorial honoring officers who were killed in the line of duty was replaced last week in front of the Fayetteville Police Department.
2013 vandalism
Fayetteville Police Dept.
The original memorial was vandalized beyond repair last October. It included the names of two fallen officers, William D. Patton and Lem McPherson inscribed on the front.
A suspect was never identified following an investigation into the incident. The department last fall received over $3,000 in donations from local residents and businesses to help cover the cost to replace the monument.
The new memorial honors Patton and McPherson, but also includes Assistant Chief Elmo Ritchie who died in the line of duty in 1968. Ritchie’s name was added to the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial in Washington D.C. in April 2014.
An artist was able to salvage the original base of the monument for use on the new memorial. The n
