In honor of National Police Officers Memorial Week, the Kentucky State Police traveled across the state to visit the gravesites of their fallen brethren and place wreaths in honor of their ultimate sacrifice.
Trooper William F. Pickard, age 26, was fatally shot on January 21, 1976 while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in LaRue County. Trooper Pickard had accompanied two Hodgenville police officers to the home of the suspect, who had been charged with assault and wanton menacing. As Trooper Pickard approached the front door, the door flew open and a shotgun blast was fired, striking the trooper fatally. Trooper Pickard was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and had served with the Kentucky State Police for four years.
He was survived by his wife and 13-month-old son. Trooper Pickard is buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville, Ky. In honor of his service and sacrifice, a five-mile stretch of KY 61 in LaRue County has been designated the “Trooper William F. Pickard Memorial Highway.” Trooper Edward R. Harris, age 29, was fatally shot Nov. 7, 1979, during the course of a traffic violation stop.
According to a witness, Trooper Harris was struck first by a shot fired from inside the suspect’s vehicle and again as he lay in the road. Trooper Harris was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and had served with the Kentucky State Police for six-and-a-half years. He was survived by his wife and three young children.
He is buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville, Ky. In honor of his service and sacrifice, KY 3005 in Hardin County has been designated the “Trooper Edward Harris Memorial Highway.”
