The address of the new Police Department headquarters will bear the name of fallen officer Stephen Carr.
The City Council on Tuesday approved a proposal to rename a street section in honor of Carr, 27, who was killed in 2019 after being shot behind the current police station in downtown Fayetteville.
The measure means the portion of Porter Road between Deane Street and Mount Comfort Road will be renamed as Stephen Carr Memorial Boulevard.
The street section runs past the site of the new headquarters facility that’s currently under construction (see map above).
Staff photo
“I think this would be really beneficial to honor officer Carr in a very large way,” said Council Member Holly Hertzberg, who brought forward the proposal. “A lot of people are going to see this. It will be very public.”
Hertzberg said the location is also fitting in that the new headquarters is being built in part to protect officers.
Carr was ambushed by a gunman who shot him 10 times in the head while he was sitting in his patrol vehicle in the open parking lot behind the police station. The new facility will include a gated area for patrol vehicles in an effort to keep officers safe during shift changes.
The 82,630-square-foot facility will also include a bronze memorial sculpture of Carr based on a photo that shows the officer comforting an abandoned dog who was left tied to a bench on Dickson Street. Carr later adopted the dog and named it “Red.”
Police headquarters construction site / City of Fayetteville
Mayor Lioneld Jordan joined Hertzberg as a co-sponsor of the measure.
“I think this is a real way that we can honor Stephen Carr’s service to his community,” said Jordan, who added that Fayetteville Police Chief Mike Reynolds was also involved in the project.
During Carr’s funeral, Reynolds promised the officer would be forever remembered in Fayetteville.
“As police chief, I make this vow,” Reynolds said. “Stephen Carr, badge number 413, will not be forgotten.”
