Fallen EKY officers remembered in Washington D.C. for National Police Week

PRESTONSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - In June 2022, three officers and a K-9 were killed in the line of duty during a shooting in the Allen community of Floyd County. Now, the fallen officers have been memorialized forever in the nation’s capital during National Police Week.

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Ross Shurtleff, former Deputy Chief of the Prestonsburg Police Department (PPD) and now the city of Prestonsburg’s public safety director, was one of many of the friends and family of the fallen officers who went along for the trip.

“It was amazing. Just the show of support from all over the nation, from California to New York to Florida and everywhere in between,” said Shurtleff.

During National Police Week in Washington D.C., the names of Ralph Frasure, William Petry and Jacob Chaffins were carved into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial while K-9 Drago was remembered in a separate ceremony. Everlasting remembrance for those who paid the ultimate price.

“It should stand to be closure for the community,” said Shurtleff. “Not closure in an end, that now we move on, but closure in acceptance and continuing to rebuild and continuing to memorialize these guys.”

Shurtleff added, without the love and support of the community, this trip would not have been possible.

“I cannot express in words how much it means to us to know that, you know, sometimes we have to do things that aren’t popular, sometimes we have to put somebody in jail, but at the end of the day, we have a community that supports us,” said Shurtleff.

Along with officers Chaffins, Frasure and Petry, four other fallen Eastern Kentucky officers were also remembered and their names were carved into the memorial:

London Officer Logan Medlock, who was hit and killed by a drunk driver last year.
Travis Hurley, also with London Police Department, who died after a long battle with COVID-19 last year.
Oliver Little, a Floyd County Sheriff’s Deputy, who died of COVID-19 complications in 2021.
Dixon Allen Sasser, with the Harlan Police Department, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in 1918.

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