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2022 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 355
Commending the Marion Police Department.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2022
Agreed to by the Senate, March 9, 2022

 

WHEREAS, the Marion Police Department, the law-enforcement agency charged with protecting and serving the residents of the Town of Marion, celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2022; and

WHEREAS, established by an act of the General Assembly in 1835, the Town of Marion depended upon the Office of Sergeant and Collector for its law-enforcement needs for more than a century before the establishment of the Marion Police Department; and

WHEREAS, after hiring three sworn officers and a desk sergeant between 1936 and 1942, Marion town sergeant H.H. Groseclose was referred to as chief of police for the first time on September 4, 1942, marking what the Marion Police Department now recognizes as the date of its founding; and

WHEREAS, the Marion Police Department developed an internal rank structure under the leadership of Ralph S. Wolfe, who was chief of police between 1946 and 1954, and completed its transition into a modern law-enforcement agency under Walter J. Boone, who was chief of police between 1954 and 1975 and the last appointee to the Office of Sergeant and Collector after an act of the General Assembly eliminated the office in 1960; and

WHEREAS, since it has been formally established, the Marion Police Department has benefited from the sage and steady leadership of seven chiefs of police, including Elmer Blevins, John Grub, Charles Overbay, Fred Catron, Mike Roberts, Rex Anders, and John P. Clair, who has held the post since 2018; and

WHEREAS, the Marion Police Department has emphasized engagement with the community from the beginning, fostering mutual esteem and trust between officers and residents while improving public safety; and

WHEREAS, the Marion Police Department is honoring its 80 years of service with commemorative badges and at several events scheduled throughout the year, including a large celebration in September; and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of the Marion Police Department are the result of the wisdom and integrity of its leadership, the dedication and dutifulness of its officers, and the unwavering support of the community it serves; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Marion Police Department on the occasion of its 80th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the Marion Police Department as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the agency’s contributions to the Commonwealth.