U.S. Attorney Recognizes the Service and Sacrifice of Law Enforcement

Richard W. Moore, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, takes time to stop, remember, and recognize all federal, state and local law enforcement officers and pay tribute to their service and sacrifice.  Law enforcement has the difficult and dangerous task of making our communities safer, while placing their own lives and well-being at risk.

Sadly, each year many officers make the ultimate sacrifice and give their lives in performance of their duties.  In the State of Alabama, three officers have been shot and killed over the past year, with two of those deaths taking place in the last month.  Mobile Police Officer Sean Paul Tuder, was shot and killed on January 20, 2019 while attempting to serve an arrest warrant.  Just a week before, on January 13, 2019, Sergeant Wytasha Carter of the Birmingham Police, was also shot and killed attempting to make an arrest.  Last year, Mobile Police Department Officer Justin Billa was killed while assisting in the apprehension of a murderer. 

We know that law enforcement is the foundation of a safe community.  They work diligently each day to maintain order while risking everything for the greater good.  Far too many are killed each year for simply doing their jobs.  We must also never forget that it is not only the officers that deserve our respect and support, but their families as well.  Officers always have our backs and we should always have theirs, including their loved ones. 

“An assault on a police officer is an assault on the rule of law and our democratic principles,” said U.S. Attorney Moore.  “The citizens of Alabama have an interest in helping us to get the word out that you do not shoot a police officer.  That needs to start at home and in our schools.  This has become a national problem that all of us need to address together.”