As skies cleared from cloudy to sunny, family, friends, fellow officers and his K9 partner, Seppe, watched as the name of Bryan County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Robert Crapse was unveiled on the Georgia Law Enforcement Moving Memorial in Pembroke on Friday afternoon.
Becky Crapse, Robert’s mother, fought back tears.
“It means a lot. It means a lot of people loved him and cared for him,” she said. “Every day he did a job that he loved, and he died doing what he loved. It is really heartfelt knowing that this many people loved him and cared for him. I wish we weren’t here today, but we are, and I thank everybody for it. My heart goes out to each and every one.”
The memorial, maintained by the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club Georgia Chapter VII, recognizes and honors law enforcement officers from Georgia who have died while serving their communities.
Crapse lost his life in a two-vehicle crash June 15 last year when his cruiser collided head-on with a vehicle being driven the wrong way on Interstate 95.
Seppe, who was in Crapse’s car at the time of the crash, survived and now lives with his family.
The memorial is important because of what it represents, said Ed Christian, president of Georgia Blue Knights Chapter VII.
“The community needs to know what is here — 688 names of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in the state of Georgia. We bring this wall to every location that will have us. We want to bring it to the small towns, the big towns — it doesn’t really matter,” Christian said. “We want the community to take part in this. It is important that the family knows that you are standing here with them; that is the main thing.”
In addition to Friday’s ceremony, the Georgia Blue Knights will host a police-escorted motorcycle ride Sunday beginning at the Savannah Morning News parking lot.
Proceeds from the ride will go toward the Concerns for Police Survivors, BCSO Deputy Larry Jacobs said.
“The money is used to pay the expenses of families to go to the national event each May,” Jacobs said.
Each year, C.O.P.S. hosts the National Police Survivors’ Conference in Washington, D.C., where families of law enforcement survivors gather for grief counseling and information sharing.
Crapse’s name joins those of former Pembroke Police Chief Waldo Jones and BCSO Sgt. Michael Larson as other officers from Bryan County who lost their lives in the line of duty. The name of Atlanta Police Officer Gail Thomas was also unveiled Friday in Pembroke. His daughter, Jasmine, is a student at GSU.