The fifth annual Jarid Taylor Memorial 5K & Fun Run was Saturday morning in Durant and the event raises funds for Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and the Jarid Taylor Memorial Fund.
Taylor was a deputy with the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and he gave his life in the line of duty while en route to an emergency call on Jan. 14, 2020, when his patrol car slid off the road on Old Highway 70 during the rain and crashed.
In 2021, Taylor’s family started the 5K and fun run in his memory and it is held the last Saturday in July because Taylor’s birthday was July 28.
More than 300 participated in the run.
Taylor Shipp, cousin of Deputy Taylor, spoke the morning of the run and she said the family was so glad for all that participated that morning.
“As the family of Jarid, we can’t tell you what the support means to us to help us honor and remember him and keep his memory alive,” Shipp said. “So, thank you so much for being here. This truly means more than I can even express to you.”
Shipp thanked all of the sponsors and said the family is extremely blessed through the support from the community and local sponsors and she extended a heartfelt thanks to all of them. She also thanked the volunteers who are a big help for the event.
“This is our fifth year and every year that we have done this event, we have given to an organization called Concerns of Police Survivors,” Shipp said. “It’s an organization that has directly benefited our family and lots of other families, even some that are here today. So, this organization steps in when there’s a line of duty death and they help support the family members and the law enforcement officers that are left behind after that loved one passed away and so we’ve been blessed by that organization. So, we give back to them in honor of Jarid.”
Shipp said that to date, they have been able to donate a little more than $15,000 to Concerns of Police Survivors.
“Another thing that our proceeds benefit is the Heart of a Hero award,” Shipp said. “This award was created by our family and we put our heads together and we said these are qualities that we know Jarid possessed as a person not just as a law enforcement officer because he was a lot more than that.
“We get to go to every CLEET and KTC Police Academy graduation and that award is given to a cadet that is voted on by those cadets in that graduating class and we get to go and present the Heart of a Hero award at every CLEET and KTC graduation. To date, we have awarded nine Heart of a Hero awards and we’re really proud of that as well.”
A new thing Shipp said has started this year is partnerships with law enforcement agencies in the area.
“This year, our partnership is with Durant Police Department, so proceeds from this event will go directly to their department to help them purchase any supplies, equipment, materials that their offi cers may need,” Shipp said. “We have quite a group from Durant PD here today, so we’re extremely appreciative of their support and we’re so glad to work with you this year.”
A new award for this year is the Blessed Peacemaker award and officers were nominated from different Bryan County law enforcement agencies.
“The Blessed Peacemaker award recognizes a law enforcement officer who demonstrates selfless service, steadfast courage and unwavering commitment to peace,” Shipp said. “They stand as a protector and a true peacemaker in our community. This individual models compassion, strength and integrity that reflects the highest ideal of law enforcement. They exemplify the utmost calling of their profession to serve as guardians of peace, builders of trust and agents of reconciliation.”
The Blessed Peacemaker award was presented to Bryan County Sheriff’s Deputy Jennifer Bohanan.
In a social media post, the sheriff’s office said Deputy Bohanan truly embodies the values of the award.
“We are proud to have her as a member of the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office and grateful for her dedication to serving the people of our county,” the sheriff’s office said. “We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to the family of Jarid Taylor for their continued efforts in keeping his legacy alive through this event and the many others they support. His memory lives on in the lives he touched and the example he set. We will always remember.”
