RALEIGH, NC — The North Carolina Department of Transportation is nearing completion of a comprehensive effort to ensure that 23 state troopers killed in the line of duty receive the bridge naming honors they were never awarded, with all dedications expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The initiative, launched in partnership with the N.C. State Highway Patrol in spring 2024, addresses a decades-old oversight that left nearly one-third of the agency’s fallen officers without the memorial recognition typically accorded to law enforcement personnel killed on duty.
“For many years, North Carolina has been naming bridges to honor law enforcement officers killed on the job,” said North Carolina Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins during his monthly update to the N.C. Board of Transportation. “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.”
Filling a Gap in Recognition
Of the 70 State Highway Patrol members who have died in the line of duty during the agency’s 96-year history, 23 had been overlooked for bridge naming honors that are routinely granted to fallen law enforcement officers and emergency responders.
The project was initiated by Col. Freddy Johnson, commander of the State Highway Patrol, after he heard from family members who had lost loved ones but never received bridge dedications.
“We felt that it was very important to get everyone recognized for the sacrifice that they made,” Johnson said. “To the families, it’s like it happened yesterday and to see the heartfelt thanks from them has made this project so worthwhile.”
Since the project began, NCDOT has completed all but seven of the 23 bridge dedications.
Complex Research Process
The bridge naming effort required extensive research to identify the overlooked officers and verify their stories with community members and families, according to Shelly Heath, staff contact for the N.C. Board of Transportation’s Road and Bridge Naming Committee.
Heath and her supervisor, Brian Mayhew, NCDOT’s state traffic engineer, worked with the State Highway Patrol to track down information about officers killed decades ago, including Patrolman Isaac T. Moore, who was shot to death near Goldsboro in 1937 while questioning two men hauling meat in a stolen vehicle.
The reasons for the oversight varied. In some cases, family or friends had started but never completed the application process. In others, people were unaware that bridge naming honors existed.
Personal Impact on Families
The initiative has brought closure to families like that of Trooper Jackie Daniel, who was killed in 1994 when a tractor trailer struck his cruiser while he was assisting a stranded motorist in Charlotte.
“It means that when people see his name, they’ll know he was such a great man that served his community and would do anything for him,” said his daughter, Ashlyn LaTurno. “It makes me and my family proud to know that my Dad was such a legacy for all the works he did throughout the community.”
Standard Process Expedited
Typically, bridge naming requests must originate from family members or friends who complete an application and petition their local government for a resolution. The local resolution is then forwarded to NCDOT, where staff research the officer and circumstances of their death before drafting a resolution for consideration by the N.C. Board of Transportation.
For this special project, NCDOT expedited the process while maintaining requirements for strong community and family support before proceeding with dedications.
Hopkins presented a video of the bridge naming effort to board members, emphasizing the importance of ensuring all fallen officers receive proper recognition for their ultimate sacrifice in service to North Carolina.
