Attorney
Larry Harris and Kannapolis Police Captain Patrick Patty honored for work
On Friday, May 5, the Cabarrus County community gathered at the Government Center for Law Day 2017. Representatives from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office, Kannapolis and Concord Police departments, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Attorneys of the Cabarrus County Bar Association, and multiple Cabarrus County judges were onsite to honor fallen officers and pay tribute to the work of current officers and courts workers.
The 2017 theme provides the opportunity to explore the many ways that the Fourteenth Amendment has reshaped American law and society. Through its citizenship, due process, and equal protection clauses, this transformative amendment advances the rights of all Americans. It also plays a pivotal role in extending the reach of the Bill of Rights to the states. Ratified during Reconstruction a century and a half ago, the Fourteenth Amendment serves as the cornerstone of landmark civil rights legislation, the foundation for numerous federal court decisions protecting fundamental rights, and a source of inspiration for all those who advocate for equal justice under law.
The Cabarrus County Bar Association honored distinguished attorney Larry Harris with the Liberty Bell Award for his 51 years of service. Kannapolis Police Captain Patrick Patty received the honor of the Robert Jackson Eury Memorial Award in memory of the deputy sheriff killed in the line of duty in 1972.
“Receiving this award was very surprising,” said Patty. “No matter what agency you work for, we are all a team. This recognition belongs to all of us in law enforcement.”
Keynote speaker for the ceremony was Robert Schurmeier, Director of the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations.
“North Carolina has lost 550 men and women who were serving the people,” Schurmeier said. “Today, we honor all of them and thank those currently serving for standing in the breach. I ask the community to support these men and women as witnesses and jurors and to support law enforcement members throughout the year.”
The awards ceremony concluded with a walk to the memorial courtyard for the ceremonial placing of the wreath at the memorial for Cabarrus County's Fallen Law Enforcement Officers. Kannapolis Police Department's ceremonial rifle team were present to give the twenty one gun salute and the customary playing of “Taps.”
Since 1899, six Law Enforcement Officers lost their lives serving Cabarrus residents in the line of duty.
William J Kearns: Concord Police Department, September 2, 1899
William F Propst: Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, November 17, 1922
Martin Reuben Kiser: Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, March 3, 1931
Robert J Eury: Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, May 5, 1972
Roger Dale Carter: Kannapolis Police Department, December 31, 1993
Jackie L Daniel: NC DMV, July 28, 1994
For more information about Law Day and the ceremony, call the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office at 704-920-3000 or visit
www.cabarruscounty.us and
www.lawday.org.
