The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will soon name bridges across the state in honor of 23 fallen state troopers, including one who died in the line of duty in 1937.
Col. Freddy Johnson, commander of the North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP), had initiated the effort after hearing from several family members who lost loved ones but did not receive bridge dedications.
“We felt that it was very important to get everyone recognized for the sacrifice that they made,” Johnson said in a press release. “To the families, it’s like it happened yesterday, and to see the heartfelt thanks from them has made this project so worthwhile.”
NCSHP partnered with NCDOT, the agency responsible for road and bridge dedications, after discovering that the names of the fallen officers were somehow overlooked.
“For many years, North Carolina has been naming bridges to honor law enforcement officers killed on the job,” NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins said in the release. “But for many different reasons, 23 officers were never honored. We’ve been working with the State Highway Patrol since last spring to make sure these officers are properly recognized for their sacrifice.”
Nominating and naming process
Normally, when law enforcement officers or emergency responders are killed in the line of duty, a family member or friend completes an application and petitions their local government to pass a resolution requesting that the state name a bridge to honor the fallen officer.
The resolution is then referred to NCDOT. They work with NCSHP to research the officer and the circumstances of the officer’s death.
Following state policy, NCDOT staff must ensure the request has strong support from the local community and the family.
NCDOT staff then drafts a resolution, which the North Carolina Board of Transportation considers. If approved, NCDOT staff will coordinate an event to officially dedicate the bridge.
Project was major undertaking due to the extensive research that was needed
Shelly Heath, the staff contact for NCDOT’s Road and Bridge Naming Committee; and her supervisor, Brian Mayhew, NCDOT’s state traffic engineer, have worked with NCSHP on the initiative since the spring of 2024.
Heath said the bridge-naming effort was a major undertaking because extensive research was needed to identify the fallen officers and verify their stories with community members and their families.
Family and friends of the fallen, she said, were difficult to locate, as several officers were killed many decades ago, like Patrolman Isaac T. Moore, who was shot to death near Goldsboro in 1937 while questioning two men hauling a load of meat in a stolen vehicle.
Sometimes, family or friends start an application but don’t complete it.
In other cases, people may not have realized that such an honor even existed, like for the family of Trooper Jackie Daniel. Daniel was killed in 1994 after a tractor-trailer hit his cruiser while he was helping a stranded motorist in Charlotte.
When Daniel’s daughter, Ashlyn LaTurno, realized her father could be honored in this way, she said she was proud.
“It means that when people see his name, they’ll know he was such a great man who served his community and would do anything for him,” LaTurno said. “It makes me and my family proud to know that my dad was such a legacy for all the work he did throughout the community.”
70 members have died in the line of duty during NCSHP’s 96-year history
In its 96-year history, 70 members of the State Highway Patrol have died in the line of duty.
Since the project began in the spring of 2024, NCDOT has completed all but seven of the bridge dedications.
NCDOT expects to have all 23 officers honored by the end of 2025.