May 2024. BLUES Vol. 40 No. 5

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY BELLERICA, MA. Sergeant Ian Taylor was struck and killed by a piece of construction equipment while working an overtime assignment. By Molly Farrar A Billerica police officer was killed while serving in a construction detail on Friday, prompting an outpouring of support for the department over the weekend. Sergeant Detective Ian Taylor, 49, was struck by an excavator that was backing up at the construction site on Boston Road, the Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan and Billerica Police Chief Roy Frost said Friday. Ryan said at a press conference Friday that Taylor was directing a tractor trailer around the site when the excavator struck him. Taylor was transported to Lahey Hospital in Burlington where he died, officials said. The incident is under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the DA and local enforcement said they will also be investigating. Frost said on Friday that Taylor was a 21-year law enforcement veteran who joined the Billerica department in 2011. He spent time working with a federal drug task force and continued that work in Billerica as a lead member of the Substance Awareness and Prevention Team. Frost said Taylor leaves behind a loving family including his wife and children. The Greg Hill Foundation started a fundraiser to support the Taylors, heftily surpassing the ,000 goal. As of Sunday evening, community members had raised more than ,000. “Every single one of the officers that work with Ian love him, love him like a brother,” Frost said. “Sergeant Taylor made an impact while he was here. His life had meaning. He’s helped so many people. He’s saved so many people.” Police held a procession to transport Taylor from the Medical Examiner’s Office in Boston SERGEANT IAN TAYLOR on Sunday afternoon. The procession traveled on 93 North before officers went through Billerica and headed to a funeral home in Methuen. Billerica police held a vigil to honor Taylor Sunday night. Members of the public could celebrate Taylor’s life in the courtyard of Billerica Memorial high School starting at 6 p.m. “When a police officer is killed, it’s not an agency that loses an officer, it’s an entire nation.” Chris Cosgriff, ODMP Founder 50 The Blues - May ‘24

AROUND THE COUNTRY DUBACH, LA. Dubach police officer Russell Croxton, was killed Saturday April 27 while conducting a traffic stop on U.S. 167 in Louisiana. A Dubach police officer was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by an 18-wheeler while conducting a traffic stop. Russell Croxton, 51, of Dubach, was a recent addition to the Dubach Police Department. He had served some years ago as Dubach’s chief of police, and more recently, as a police officer with the Louisiana Tech University Police Department. Louisiana State Police, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Ruston Ambulance Service responded to the scene shortly before 1:00 p.m. Saturday. According to Louisiana State Police, Croxton had stopped a 2014 Ford Explorer on U.S. 167 just south of Hamilton Road for a traffic violation when his 2020 Chevrolet patrol truck and the stopped motorist’s vehicle were struck by an 18-wheeler. LSP said Croxton had exited his vehicle and was standing next to the driver’s side window of the Explorer speaking to the stopped driver. A 2022 Peterbilt commercial motor vehicle, driven by 61-year-old Michael Sutterfield of Russellville, Arkansas, was traveling north on U.S. 167 in the right lane. For reasons still under investigation, Sutterfield failed to move from the right lane to yield to the stopped patrol vehicle. As a result, the 18-wheeler struck the rear of the Chevrolet, causing it to rotate to the right. After striking the Chevrolet, Sutterfield’s vehicle continued north and struck Officer Croxton before striking the Ford Explorer. Officer Croxton was transported to an area hospital, where he later died. Sutterfield and the driver of the Ford were both properly restrained and uninjured. Although impairment is not suspected, routine toxicology samples were collected and will be submitted for analysis. The crash remains under investigation by LSP. OFFICER RUSSELL CROXTON Officer Croxton was a young child when his father, Ruston Police Sergeant Raymond Croxton, was killed in a single-vehicle patrol car crash in May 1978. Sgt. Croxton was believed to have been in pursuit of a violator at the time of the crash. Russell Croxton had told fellow Lincoln Parish law officers that the death of his father served as an impetus in his pursuit of a career as a law enforcement officer. “When a police officer is killed, it’s not an agency that loses an officer, it’s an entire nation.” Chris Cosgriff, ODMP Founder The Blues - May ‘24 51