Huntsville Police Department honors 13 fallen officers
Published on May 18, 2023
The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) hosted its annual Fallen Officer Memorial Service on Thursday, May 18. The event was held in honor of National Police Week to recognize 13 of its officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our community.
Chief Kirk Giles and Command Staff honored HPD’s fallen officers along with the Huntsville Police Citizens Foundation, Mayor Tommy Battle, Prim Escalona, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, and Huntsville City Council members.
“The officers we remember today did not choose this career for recognition,” Chief Giles said. “These officers and their families shared a commitment to service and a desire to work toward something larger than themselves. It is not how these officers died that made them heroes but how they lived.”
HPD’s Fallen Officer Memorial was built by the Huntsville Police Citizens Foundation, a nonprofit funded by a diverse group of citizens and businesses in the community. The foundation provides immediate assistance to families of HPD officers during emergencies.
Below is a list of the 13 HPD officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
• Officer William J. Street – End of Watch, Monday, Oct. 8, 1883
• Officer Frank McKissack – End of Watch, Friday, May 26, 1916
• Officer Ewell B. Starr – End of Watch, Saturday, Dec. 5, 1953
• Officer Alan S. Logel, Jr. – End of Watch, Monday, Nov. 19, 1956
• Officer Charles E. Drake, Jr. – End of Watch, Monday, July 23, 1962
• Officer Preston R. Butler – End of Watch, Friday, June 3, 1966
• Officer William T. Gaskin – End of Watch, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 1968
• Officer Billy Fred Clardy, Jr. – End of Watch, Wednesday, May 3, 1978
• Officer Daniel Howard Golden – End of Watch, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005
• Officer William Eric Freeman – End of Watch, Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007
• Officer Keith O’Neal Earle – End of Watch, Monday, April 9, 2018
• Agent Billy Fred Clardy III – End of Watch, Friday, Dec. 6, 2019
• Officer Garrett Coulter Crumby – End of Watch, Tuesday, March 28, 2023
