~ The issue ~ Constable’s death

~ Our opinion ~ Officers risk all in working to protect us from those who would commit such a crime

The words of First Circuit Solicitor David Pascoe came in Orangeburg on the occasion of the 14th annual service remembering fallen police officers.

“In my years of prosecution experience, I have come to realize that our law enforcement officers are truly the unsung heroes of our society. Police live every day upon the front lines of the law.”

Elsewhere in Orangeburg County, even as the Friday service was being held, the solicitor’s words might have echoed. There again was proof that life on the front line is dangerous.

Searchers from Charleston County and a number of agencies were busy near Bowman looking for the body of a constable believed to have been killed following a traffic stop. The found only a car linked to his disappearance from Lincolnville days earlier. His burned-out car and other items already had been found elsewhere.

On Saturday, searchers visited a different site near Orangeburg along Interstate 26 and found a body buried in a shallow grave. It is believed to be that of 67-year-old Robert Lee Bailey.

Five people are in custody in the case.

It is a tragic end to a story that proves even those in police work in a small town can become victims.

Bailey was patrolling as a volunteer. According to arrest affidavits, he had just cleared a traffic stop and was on the street where two suspects lived when several shots sounded and radio contact was lost.

When help arrived, Bailey was gone. His constable’s cap, two pistols, several shell casings and a large pool of his blood were found in the street and the yard of small home on the street.“

It remains to be seen whether what happened to Bailey and why will be determined – and whether someone ultimately will pay a price for his death.

Regardless, this man who served his community did not deserve such a fate. Lincolnville police Sgt. Richie Hill told The (Charleston) Post and Courier as he watched the excavation unfold Saturday: “Whoever did this, there was no need for all this. He was just doing his job.”

As have so many other officers who paid the ultimate price. We must not forget what they do and why. They work to protect us all from the very people who would commit such a crime.

Thomas S. Harrison, father of Sgt. Tommy Harrison, who was killed in the line of duty in Orangeburg in 1993, puts it this way:

“Even the loss of one is a very traumatic thing, and I don’t think people ever forget.”

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