Officials in Baldwin County gathered Tuesday morning to add the name of a Loxley police sergeant to the law enforcement memorial in Robertsdale, part of a ceremony recognizing officers from across the county who have died in the line of duty.
Sgt. Charles “Kerry” Mitchum, a member of the Loxley Police Department, died in late January 2015 following a single-vehicle accident linked to an apparent medical episode. Family members, friends and fellow Loxley officers attended the memorial service, which drew a wide cross-section of the county’s law enforcement and judicial leadership.
Baldwin County District Attorney Hallie Dixon, Loxley Mayor Billy Middleton and Probate Court Judge Tim Russell were among those who took part, alongside the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Mobile Field Office and police chiefs representing multiple departments throughout Baldwin County. The gathering was designed not only to honor Mitchum but to recognize every Baldwin County officer who has died while serving the community.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, at least seven law enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty in Baldwin County dating back to 1895. Officials at the ceremony also noted that 118 officers died in the line of duty nationwide in the prior year alone, underscoring the risks law enforcement personnel face even in smaller communities.
The Baldwin County ceremony was one of several held across the region as part of National Police Week, an annual observance dedicated to honoring law enforcement officers nationwide. Later the same week, officers in Mobile County held a similar memorial service at the Public Safety Memorial Park, continuing a tradition of coordinated regional tributes during the observance.
Earlier in the week, U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne visited with Mobile Police Department officers to personally thank them for their service to the community, part of a broader push by elected officials across South Alabama to mark the week with visible support for local law enforcement.
For Loxley, a small town in Baldwin County, the addition of Mitchum’s name to the Robertsdale memorial offers a lasting, physical tribute alongside the more temporary gestures of appreciation that came earlier in the week. Local officials say the memorial serves as a permanent reminder to residents of the sacrifices made by officers who served their communities, and as a place where families and colleagues can return in the years ahead to honor those they lost.