Jackson Police Dept. honors Sgt. Warren Olden with Sea of Blue procession

JACKSON, Tenn. — Sgt. Warren Olden died unexpectedly of heart attack on January 8, 2024. The City of Jackson is recognizing his impact Wednesday on the one year anniversary of his passing by honoring his life and legacy.

A Sea of Blue procession commemorated the life of Jackson Police Sergeant Warren Olden. The procession route passed over the Chester Street Bridge and then north on Highway 70. After taking a right turn onto Flex Drive, it passed  Parkway Memorial Gardens. The procession then turned right at the four-way intersection on Mifflin Road and followed East Chester back to South Royal Street.

It then ended at the Jackson City Court building on Royal Street, where City Court Judge Blake Anderson led a dedication ceremony for for the renaming of the Jackson City Court room in honor of Sgt. Olden.

Organizers say the procession was meant to be held last year, however, due to weather conditions, it had to be rescheduled.

“Sgt. Warren Olden passed a year ago today and mother nature was not nice with us last year. It was icy, raining and snowing — it was just terrible conditions. We had to postpone this, the Sea of Blue, for that reason. For safety reasons. So, for this year, on the anniversary of his passing, to do that Sea of Blue that we never got to do last year in honor of him,” said Jackson Police Chief Thom Corley.

Chief Corley went on to speak about Sgt. Olden’s character.

“Man, he was just a kind hearted guy. You know he was all about serving folks. He’d do anything for anyone and you thought because of his stature he was just ominous but that wasn’t the case. He’s really passionate about folks and had compassion and that showed in his day to day work,” said Chief Corley.

Olden was known as ‘Big O’ by many of his friends and teammates, but the word ‘big’ was much more than his physical appearance. Sgt. Olden was a 1998 graduate of Union University and member of the Union Sports Hall of Fame. Olden played basketball for Union from 1990 to 1994 where he scored a school-record 2,200 points. His record still stands today.

“When he came to work for us he had already been at Union and you know we already knew who he was right, so yeah, he has a legacy there as well,” said Chief Corley.

Olden served the Jackson Police Department for 30 years. His last and longest position was serving as a city court officer. Chief Corley tells us why this demonstration of acknowledgment is important.

“For a fallen officer, it is not only a recognition from our department, but other agencies in support of our agency saying that they’re here for us and they’re recognizing his service,” said Chief Corley.

Sgt. Olden’s family was given the honor of unveiling the renaming of the city court room in his memory.

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