Honoring Georgia's fallen: A traveling memorial wall pays tribute to 876 officers

Wall honors fallen Georgia law enforcement officers

This is National Police Week, a time to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers. Here in Georgia, there's a wall dedicated to those who died in the line of duty.

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - It's National Police Week, a time to honor the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers. Here in Georgia, there's a wall dedicated to those who died in the line of duty.

What they're saying:

Every time an officer dies in the line of duty, it hurts John Ivey's soul. He's worked in law enforcement for 30 years. He built a granite wall to honor their lives. "It's in honor of every fallen officer in the state of Georgia we lost since Dec. 11, 1839. There are 876 fallen heroes that are on our granite memorial," said Ivey.

The wall is made up of granite panels with the names and images of the officers. "I hand etched everything on there," said Ivey.

He says putting a name on the wall is always hard, but it's even harder when it's someone he knows. "You know their names, you know their story. It's emotional. I was there with quite a few of them," said Ivey.

Ivey takes the wall to various events across the state so as many people as possible can honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

Local perspective:

Theresa Hand visited the wall when it was displayed in Cobb County.

"All the people on this wall are heroes," said Hand.

Hand got emotional when she saw the image of Atlanta Police Officer Sherry Lyons Williams, who was killed in 2001 during a drug raid.

"She and I served in the military together. She was a dedicated officer," said Hand.

Ivey says when he sees the reactions from families and friends, he knows the work he's put into the memorial wall is worth it.

"They give you a hug and say thank you, because they're never going to be forgotten, and that's our goal," said Ivey.

What you can do:

Georgia's Fallen Heroes Memorial is a nonprofit. Ivey hopes to use it to raise money for the families through the sale of items and donations. You can find out more on the website, georgiasfallenheroesmemorial.com.