Fallen officer to be honored in Washington, D.C.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - It’s been nearly a year since Meridian police officer and Tuscaloosa native Kennis Croom was shot and killed in the line of duty, bringing together communities in east Mississippi and west Alabama.

His sacrifice gets national attention this weekend.

“It’s bittersweet,” Croom’s sister Tamara Croom said. “We’re going to celebrate Kennis, his legacy, his life. He will be nationally recognized.”

The sacrifice of Croom and other officers killed in the line of duty will be recognized in Washington, D.C. for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.

The Crooms will travel to the nation’s capital this weekend for the event.

Officer Croom’s name will be formally dedicated on the memorial on May 13 at the 35th Annual Candlelight Vigil during National Police Week.

Hi family talked about the pride they have in Kennis and his sacrifice to save others.

“We talked about the impact he’s made on the students in Meridian,” said Croom’s sister Teresa Bivens. “Just those four babies that he saved. That gives me so much pride and allows me to go on.”

They also expressed what it means to have his name added to the memorial with so many other heroes.

“We expect our law enforcement officers to be everything and do everything. But, they are still a select group of human beings that have chosen a career to put their lives on the line to help other people to be safe,” Kelvin Croom said about his son Kennis.

The Crooms also say that the city of Meridian will be renaming a street in Officer Croom’s honor on June 9 when a community service day is being held in his memory.

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