Officer Jeff Shelton Memorial Foundation

I’m so glad Locust PD is doing this!! Our organization had the pleasure of hosting “Coffee with a Cop” a few times in Stanly County. It is a great opportunity to get to meet the local men and women who protect and serve your community!! 🖤💙🖤

MORE INFO COMING SOON!!!

Eric was a cop’s cop! Proud to have had the honor of knowing him!

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This November...."ish", the Locust Police Department will be NO SHAVE FOR JACE! For the entire month of November, officers of the Locust Police Department can make a $30 donation ($1 a day) and they will be exempt from department facial hair policy for the entire month! For an additional $10, officers were able to start November"ish" one week early!

The Locust Police Department will contribute all of our officer's donations to the Warrior Jace Foundation for DIPG research and hopefully one day soon a cure. DIPG is a rare type of brain cancer that mostly affects children with no current cure. "Warrior Jace" Thompson passed away in 2018 after bravely fighting DIPG for 347 days.

To learn more about Warrior Jace and the Warrior Jace Foundation, visit the Warrior Jace Foundation website:

https://www.warriorjace.org/

We will post our officer's results at the end of November as we NO SHAVE FOR JACE!!!

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Today Officer Jeff Shelton would have turned 50 years old. There should be a big celebration with his family and friends. Instead because of evil and hatred for the uniform Jeff wore, those of us left behind, who miss him immeasurably, will raise a glass and wish him a Happy Birthday. If you knew Jeff, take a minute to remember him and his “it’s all good” attitude! If you didn’t have the privilege of knowing Jeff, please take a minute to pray for the men and women in blue who risk their lives to protect us!

07/22/2020

PRESS RELEASE

It is with the utmost tremendous sadness that the Locust Police Department must officially announce the passing of our Chief of Police, Steven R. “Smitty” Smith. Chief Smith passed away last evening at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord. Chief Smith was off-duty at the time of his death. He was 45 years old.

Chief Smith was a Locust native who began his career with the Locust Police Department before working tours with the Monroe and Kannapolis Police Departments. He returned to the Locust Police Department in 2007 as a patrol officer. Chief Smith was promoted to the ranks of Sergeant and Captain at the department before being appointed Chief of Police at the end of December 2019. Chief Smith succeeded retiring Locust Chief Frank Hartsell who along with every member of the Locust Police Department endorsed “Smitty” for the position.

Chief Smith was an outstanding decision maker and leader who held an extraordinary vision for the future of the Locust Police Department. In just six months as Chief of Police, “Smitty” had been consistently praised for his performance by the members of the Locust Police Department, Locust city administration as well as the elected members of the City Council of Locust.

Chief Smith was an “officer’s Chief” who was able to combine the perfect mixture of leadership with camaraderie. One of the ideals Chief Smith leaned heavily on was knowing that the patrol division is the heart and soul of a police department, and he knew that the department’s success and how the department would be viewed by the public was dependent on the effectiveness of its patrol officers. Chief Smith’s goal was to develop or enhance the most well-equipped, well-trained, community driven patrol officers possible and every single member of the Locust Police Department responded so positively to that leadership.

“Smitty” was adored by his peers in the Stanly and surrounding county’s law enforcement community as well as by so many members of the Locust community that had known him his entire life. “Smitty” was always a pleasure to be around and one of the most humorous storytellers you would ever meet. Chief always seemed to have the perfect “one-liner” for any occasion. All of the members of the Locust Police Department will miss him so much.

In the coming days and weeks, we ask you to please keep Chief Smith’s wife, children, family, and friends as well as the members of the Locust Police Department in your thoughts and prayers. Funeral arrangements are to be determined.

Yesterday began 2020 National Police Week. A week set aside to honor and remember our law enforcement heroes who lost their lives in the line of duty. It is also a time to remember those brave men and women who protect each of us everyday!

Like so many other events, COVID-19 has forced us at the Officer Jeff Shelton Foundation to cancel our annual events for this year. We are sad to not have the opportunity to properly honor our law enforcement heroes in Stanly County as we normally do, but we hope they know how much they and their families mean to us!



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This week we celebrate the officers who serve our community each day and remember those who paid the ultimate price. Tomorrow at Mission Church in Locust, NC at 10AM the Officer Jeff Shelton Foundation will host its Annual Heroes Live Forever Memorial Service. We invite you to join us as we pay tribute to our fallen law enforcement officers. I am very thankful for all of our law enforcement officers and their families.

I am also very appreciative to many people who are making tomorrow’s service possible: Stanly County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, all Stanly County Law Enforcement Agencies, CMPD, Jeremy Hyde and the staff at Mission Church, Mike Hinson, Little’s Flower Shop of Midland, Sheriff Jeff Crisco for reading our Roll Call of Honor and my good friend Brian Sanders who will be our speaker.

Please make plans to join us and show your support for our law enforcement heroes!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!

Our event on May 2, 2019 at Il Bella Gardens was great! We had a awesome crowd and a wonderful time! We appreciate all the support from the community! We had the pleasure of presenting four awards that night. It is truly an honor for us to get to recognize our law enforcement!

Officer of the Year - Sgt Tristan Furr SCSO

Got Your Six - Officer Dwayne Dietz LPD

Everyday Hero - Officer Kim Cook APD

Outstanding Career Service Award -
Chief Frank Hartsell LPD