Shield Chap

We join in the mourning for our fallen brother in Carrol County. Please join us in praying for this hurting family, department and community.

Our hearts are heavy as we mourn alongside the Carroll County Sheriff's Office following the tragic loss of one of their deputies in the line of duty.

Today, we are reminded of the tremendous sacrifices made by law enforcement officers and their families in service to their communities. The loss of a deputy is not only felt within an agency's walls, but throughout the entire law enforcement family.

We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Deputy Utt, as well as all members of the Carroll County Sheriff's Office during this unimaginable time. We also ask that you keep the deputy injured in this incident in your thoughts and prayers, and join us in wishing them strength, comfort, and a full recovery in the days ahead.

As neighboring agencies and members of the law enforcement profession, we stand with Carroll County during this difficult time. May we honor the life, service, and sacrifice of the fallen deputy by never forgetting the commitment he made to protect others.

Rest easy, Deputy Utt. We have the watch from here.

Chaplain Potter and Scarlett are home after a very full week of caring for survivor families and friends of officers killed in the line of duty from all over the country. From attending the K9 memorial ceremony, praying and reading the names and end of watch summaries at a ceremony honoring motor officers, visiting various federal LE agencies, attending the FOP memorial, to simply hanging around the LE Memorial site, Chaplain Potter and Scarlett met with several hundred people.

THANK YOU to all of you who partner with SHIELD to allow us to serve those who serve us all. There are so many heartbreaking stories, but they are not ours to share. Just know that you are impacting lives locally and, at key moments, for people around the country.

(To learn more or to give, see www.shieldchap.org.)

May 10-16 is National Police Week

During this week, as a nation, we take time to Respect, Honor and Remember those who have served and have made the ultimate sacrifice in that service.

Starting off the week, Chaplain Hughes was able to meet up with Law Enforcement United. They are a cycling team made up of family members and former/current police officers, who have lost family members or partners on the job, that were traveling to Washington DC for Police Week. They made a one night stop in Roanoke to sleep, recharge and prepare for the rest of their journey. He had a chance to pray for their safety and endurance for the rest of the trip.

Chaplains Potter & Stephenson have been in Washington DC for Police Week and have had the ability to serve there in a number of ways. They were able to accompany Officer Frosell, from the Roanoke Police Department, to Monday's K9 Remembrance Ceremony. You may remember K9 Knox who was tragically lost in the line of duty in 2025.

Scarlett & Moose have been able to provide lots of comfort to families & officers who are at Police Week to honor and remember family members and partners who they have lost. They've also been able to reconnect with classmates from Mutts With A Mission, as well as their handlers.

The week isn't finished yet and we can't wait to see all of the ways God continues to allow them to be used during the coming days.

Thank you for your support that gives us the opportunity to serve those who serve us all, whether that is here in the Roanoke Valley or whether it is in Washington DC. No matter where we go, it's because of you that we get to do it!