A Camden County Deputy, who died in service over 60 years ago, will be included on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
On March 5, 1964, Deputy John Arthur Hazelton was killed in a car crash involving 2 other vehicles in Glynn County. Passengers in Hazelton’s patrol car also died in the crash.
In 2021, Sgt. Andrew Reed of the Camden County Sheriff’s Department had discovered an oversight while reviewing the Officer Down Memorial Page. Sgt. Reed reported his findings to Roger Parer with The Georgia COncerns for Police Survivors. They then discovered that Deputy Hazelton’s name hadn’t been added to the National Memorial in Washington D.C.
After three years of extensive government documentation and a wide array of obstacles faced by Sgt. Reed, his end goal was finally met.
On October 30, 2024, Camden County Sheriff Jim Proctor received a letter from William Alexander, Chief Executive Officer of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, declaring that Deputy Hazelton’s name had been approved for inclusion on the National Memorial because of Sgt. Reeds efforts.
Shortly after, Sgt. Reed was able to locate Deputy Hazelton’s daughter, Elizabeth Hazelton Connor. He informed her of the honor her father’s name would receive during a ceremony as presented her with the official letter from the National Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial Organization.
Deputy John Arthur Hazelton’s name will be formally dedicated on May 13, 2025, at the 37th Annual Candlelight Vigil during National Police Week.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.