Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

Police Officer William Joseph Melton

Selma Police Department, Alabama

End of Watch Monday, March 20, 1933

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Reflections for Police Officer William Joseph Melton

thanks for the information i was hoping to find a photo of officer melton he was a birmingham alabama officer before joining selmas force

ronald stevenson
research for history

November 15, 2022

Rest in peace Officer Melton.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

July 28, 2021

You will never be forgotten!


Surviving Spouse
Matthew Thompson E.O.W. 2-12-2004
Mobile, AL Police Dept

Lee Ann Thompson
AL Concerns of Police Survivors

March 20, 2013

Another year has passed and you are still admired and respectfully remembered in the hearts and minds of so many. My thoughts and prayers are with your loved ones and friends on this anniversary of your EOW. You will never be forgotten.

James Sheppard
Father of Sgt. Jason L. Sheppard EOW 12/7/06

March 20, 2010

YOU ARE REMEMBERED TODAY AND THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR SERVICE

VANDENBERGHE
MANCHESTER, NH

April 30, 2008

"The Badge"
He starts his shift each day
To respond to calls unknown.
He drives a marked patrol car.
A police officer he is known.
He's paid by the citizens' taxes
To make it safe on the streets.
But he usually has a second job
'Cause a waitress has his salary beat.
Now he doesn't know a holiday
'Cause he works all year round.
And when Thanksgiving and Christmas finally arrive
At his home he cannot be found.
He's cursed and assaulted often,
The one whos blood runs blue.
He seldom ever gets a thanks,
To some he's just a fool.
His friends are always other cops
'Cause people just don't understand
That underneath his badge and gun,
He's just another man.
He knows there might not be a tomorrow
In this world of drugs and crime.
And he gets so mad at the court system
'Cause the crooks don't get any time.
And each day when he leaves for work,
He prays to God above.
Please bring me home after my shift
So I can see the ones I love.
But tonight he stops a speeding car,
He's alone down this ole' highway.
It's just a little traffic infraction.
He does it everyday.
Well, he walks up to the driver's window,
And his badge is shining bright.
He asked the guy for a driver's license,
When a shot rang through the night.
Yes, the bullet hit its mark,
Striking the officer in the chest.
But the Department's budget didn't buy
Each officer a bullet-proof vest.
So he lay on the ground bleeding.
His blood wasn't blue - His blood was red.
And briefly he thought of his loved ones
'Cause in a moment the officer was dead.
In the news they told the story
Of how this officer had died.
And some who listened cared less,
But those who loved him cried.
Well, they buried him in uniform
With his badge pinned on his chest.
He even had his revolver,
He died doing his best.
Written By:
David L. Bell
Sergeant
Richland County Sheriff's Department
Columbia, South Carolina
Used with Special Permission of the Author
Copyright © 1999 - All Rights Reserved
and may not be duplicated without permission

Investigator David L Bell
Richland County Sheriff's Dept., Columbia, SC

July 24, 2007

At the anniversary of his death, we pause to honor and remember Officer Melton and acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice he paid.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to his surviving family members. May he never be forgotten.

Major D.W. Warren
Montgomery Police Dept. - Montgomery, AL

March 21, 2007

Rest in Peace, Officer Melton. Your sacrifice is not forgotten.

Officer 11169

October 30, 2006

No Officer that gives his life should be without reflection. "For those who pledge to uphold it, freedom requires a sacrfice the protected will never know."

December 22, 2005

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