More than 50 men and women killed in the line of duty as Birmingham police officers were remembered Wednesday morning for making the ultimate sacrifice.

Police and city officials gathered at Railroad Park to honor the 51 slain officers who have died in Birmingham since 1900.

Melissa Smiley, chief accountability officer for the mayor’s office, said police dedicate themselves to a life of service.

“It’s a selfless act that takes our officers away from their family and friends every day, all to serve and protect their community,” she said. “Sometimes that selfless service has a high price, the ultimate price.”

“We will never forget that sacrifice,” Smiley said, “and their memories will be cherished forever.”

Sunday marked the beginning of National Police Week. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day. Bagpipes played and there was the symbolic wreath-laying.

In 2024, 165 officers died in the line of duty nationwide.

Officer Derell Freeman read the names of those Birmingham officers killed in service over the past 122 years. Bagpipes played during a wreath laying in the memory.

The last officer killed in the line of duty was Sgt. Wytasha Carter.

Carter was killed Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, when he and others were working a special detail targeting car break-ins in downtown Birmingham. The shooting happened about 2 a.m. Carter, shot in the head, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

In 2023, Randall Versie “Randy” Smith, 63, died following a fall his home.

Smith in 1995 was shot in the head by a fellow officer and permanently disabled while officers responded to a domestic dispute.

Smith went inside to rescue a toddler. He grabbed the child and rushed to safety, but he and another officer nearly collided and the other officer’s gun went off.

Authorities said the fall was a result of the 1995 shooting classified it a line-of-duty death.

“Today we pay respect to those officers who gave every bit of themselves in service to this city,” Smiley said. “We pay respect to the legacy left behind.”

“We pay respect to the families, those who feel these losses day in and day out,” Smiley said. “I hope you know that you now carry the spirit of heroes with you.”

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr spoke of the deep gratitude for current officers and fallen officers.

He also encouraged the officers, as well as the recruits, to take in each moment.

“Sometimes we forget that moments soon become memories,” Carr said.

The district attorney said serving is the sacrifice, but the slain officers and their families paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“I want you to remember that you are the thin line between order and chaos,” Carr said. “Everyday you get up, every day you kiss your loved one goodbye, every day you get in that patrol car you are the line between order and chaos.”

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said people often used the word routine in talking about police work – routine traffic stop, routine calls.

“At any second, this job can be anything but routine,” Fitzgerald said. “This job is real. The effects of this job are real.”

Fitzgerald challenged everyone to pay their respects to the fallen officer, not just during the ceremony but beyond.

“When we leave here and return to our respective professions, take pride in what you do,” he said. “We take pride in serving others because we know that 51 women and men paid the ultimate sacrifice doing just that, serving others.”

Here is the list of Birmingham Fallen Officers:

1. J. Wafe Adams- EOW: 3/28/1900

2.George W. Kirkley- EOW: 3/28/1900

3.William P. Walton- EOW: 3/18/1902

4.James H. Mullin- EOW: 9/27/1903

5. Samuel H. Hamilton-EOW: 5/12/1907

6. Willis A. Smith-EOW: 3/10/1908

7. John W. little-EOW: 11/7/1908

8. George Clinton Eubank-EOW: 11/23/1909

9. Loner Denson Camp-EOW: 6/19/1910

10. W.C. Wallace-EOW: 11/8/1910

11. William Benjamin-EOW: 9/29/1913

12. Hugh Tulley-EOW: 10/13/1913

13. John Acquilla Moore-EOW: 12/5/1913

14. George A. Sims-EOW: 1/22/1918

15. John Dickerson Newby-EOW: 10/15/1919

16. Sam P. Dobyns-EOW: 9/19/1920

17. Walter C. Hollums-EOW: 8/18/1923

18. Virgil Ray Payne-EOW: 2/12/1927

19. .Alexander A. Manley-EOW: 5/26/1927

20. Elsie Turner Lewis-EOW: 3/3/1928

21. Henry Francis Mills-EOW: 8/8/1930

22. Lee Edward Buckalew-EOW: 5/23/1931

23. William Ira Latham-EOW: 10/24/1932

24. Dumas Froy Phillips-EOW: 4/23/1934

25. Forest J. Harris-EOW: 2/8/1935

26. James M. Early-EOW: 4/15/1935

27. Homer Earnest Poore-EOW: 6/30/1936

28. James Tillman Moser- EOW: 1/31/1939

29. Newton Edward Wolff-EOW: 7/12/1941

30. Fred R. Brockman- EOW: 11/3/1953

31. Herbert C. Osborn- EOW: 7/24/1962

32. Azell L. Harris- EOW: 5/4/1969

33. Kenneth Lee Spencer-EOW: 7/13/1969

34. Henry L. Thompson-EOW: 10/16/1972

35. Felix Underwood-EOW: 10/7/1973

36. William Stanley-EOW: 8/9/1975

37. James Earl Rhodes-EOW: 3/11/1978

38. Albert Eugene Ballard-EOW: 11/29/1979

39. Edward K. Alley, Jr.-EOW: 12/25/1980

40. Robert D. Patterson-EOW:10/31/1982

41. Sharon K. Robinson-EOW: 4/7/1984

42. Marcus L. Reid-EOW: 4/7/1984

43. Frank H. Dunn-EOW: 10/14/1986

44. John Martin Huffman-EOW: 5/21/1992

45. Sandy Sanderson-EOW: 1/29/1998

46. Joseph Jerome Daniels-EOW: 11/18/2002

47. C. Robert Bennett-EOW: 6/17/2004

48. Harley Alfred Chisholm, III-EOW: 6/17/2004

49. Carlos Winston Owens-EOW: 6/17/2004

50. Sgt. Wytasha Carter – EOW 1/13/2019

51. Randall Smith – EOW 12/20/2020