Rotary clubs host luncheon for officers
Miller County Detention Supervisor Lisa Mauldin was remembered Thursday at the Texarkana Rotary Clubs' 37th annual Public Safety Officers Appreciation Luncheon for her hard work and dedication.
Mauldin was killed Dec. 18, 2016, when an inmate attacked her.
“She was an officer who always stepped up to any task that was asked of her,” said Mayor Ruth Penney Bell of Texarkana, Ark.
Mauldin was honored during the Fallen Heroes portion of the event along with Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Jeff Nichols, who was killed in a vehicle accident in Lamar County.
The Wilbur Smith, Oaklawn, Sunrise and International Rotary clubs hold the luncheon each year.
Texas Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Quitman, spoke at the event.
He said it's important for a community
to honor their officers, because often there is no reward for a job done right.
“The irony of what you guys do is, the better a job you do, the less we know about it,” Hughes said.
He also spoke on how in America, a police officer's job is to serve everyone regardless of race, religion or any other distinction.
“These folks serve every one of us, whether they know us or whether they like us,” Hughes said.
Penney Bell spoke for Arkansas-side officers, and Mayor Bob Bruggeman of Texarkana, Texas, also spoke for officers in his city.
Officers honored at this year's event include:
Texarkana, Texas, Fire Department— Fire fighter John Taylor
Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department—Capt. Ray West
Bowie County Sheriff 's Office— Deputy Randall Baggett
Miller County Sheriff 's Office—Investigator Thomas Whitt
Texarkana, Texas, Police Department—Officer Cliff Harris
Texarkana, Ark., Police Department—Officer Nathan Lavender
Texas Department of Public Safety—Trooper Stephen Munger and Trooper Chad Turner
Arkansas State Police— Trooper 1st Class Ernesto Echevarria