Fallen West Tenn. officers honored in downtown Jackson

JACKSON, Tenn — Nineteen fallen officers from West Tennessee were honored Friday morning as, one by one, their family members laid a rose on a wreath in their honor.

One more name was added to the list this year.

Deputy Rosemary Vela of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office died in a single-car crash on Sept. 28, 2015, and will be honored in Washington, D.C., this weekend.

Her family said being able to have their loved one remembered for her sacrifice is a special moment.

“It’s an honor that we have all the support we do as far as the community, all the officers. It’s a good feeling,” Vela’s cousin, Josh Ramirez, told WBBJ Friday at the ceremony.

Those who spoke at the ceremony said those who were honored Friday live on through their impact.

“The legacies of those that we have lost lives, live on through all of you,” FBI Memphis District Special Agent in Charge Todd McCall said to those gathered. “And through their fellow officers across the country and around the world, those legacies live through communities that are safer and stronger because of the work they did.”

On Sunday, Deputy Vela will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which honors officers nationwide who have died in the line of duty.