Fallen deputy shielded public, peers say

Lawmen escort body to Little Rock lab

Sebastian County deputy Bill Cooper was shot and killed in the line of duty Wednesday, August 10, 2016.
Sebastian County deputy Bill Cooper was shot and killed in the line of duty Wednesday, August 10, 2016.

In law enforcement there is a thin blue line that stands solid between two factions: the sheep and the wolves -- the vulnerable community and the criminals who threaten its safety.

Every day officers don the uniform, tighten their vests and strap their weapons to their sides to stand sentry on that line.

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"We called him Sheep Dog," Senior Deputy Wayne Robb of the Scott County sheriff's office said, then paused to take a shaky breath.

Early Wednesday, Robb's longtime friend and fellow officer Cpl. Bill Cooper was shot in the neck when he answered a disturbance call in Hackett. He died at 1:15 p.m. at Sparks Regional Medical Center in Fort Smith.

Cooper, 66, was a 15-year veteran with the Sebastian County sheriff's office. He was married with three adult children and lived in the Greenwood area. He was a former Marine.

"He stood on that thin blue line," Robb said. "We protect the sheep from the wolves, and he gave his life for it."

Dozens of Cooper's law-enforcement brothers and sisters stood sentry at the hospital as Cooper fought for his life and remained after he passed away, offering their strength and support to his family.

On Thursday, that same contingent of officers began the 160-mile drive to escort Cooper's body to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock.

At each exit along the Interstate 40 route, the procession grew in size with officers from police stations and sheriff's offices around the state and others who traveled to Arkansas from other states, including Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee.

"The interstate was practically shut down," said Sebastian County sheriff's office spokesman Philip Pevehouse, adding that calls from around the state and nation continue to pour in.

"It just reinforces the unity of the brotherhood of law enforcement," Pevehouse said.

Sebastian County Sheriff Bill Hollenbeck recruited grief counselors for his officers and staff.

Prior to joining the Sebastian County sheriff's team in 2001, Cooper had served with the Fort Smith Police Department. Wednesday was a tough day for the department, spokesman Sgt. Daniel Grubbs said.

"I really don't think unless a person has served in the military or law enforcement that they can understand the family atmosphere among those who serve," Grubbs said. "It has been a huge flood of emotions -- from your heart being ripped out of your chest to anger. One of our family members was murdered for doing his job."

The job was Cooper's life and passion.

The gray-haired man with a bushy moustache that spanned across his face along with his gregarious smile was known as the epitome of community policing. He was a fixture at children's fingerprinting and identification events, Christmas parades and museums.

"He was just a lovely, lovely human being," said Alice Alt, vice president of development at the U.S. Marshals Museum in Fort Smith. "Deputy Cooper did so much with us. He adored working with kids. Every time you saw him, he had a huge smile on his face. Just salt of the earth.

"People like Bill Cooper make our job to celebrate law enforcement so much easier. He was just an exceptional human being."

Cooper knew his community members by name, living and working among them.

"If you think about the old TV shows with these cops who knew everybody, that was Bill," said Danny Aldridge, a Sebastian County justice of the peace. "He responded to them. They responded to him. He gave a great deal of respect no matter age, race or moral values."

It was that universal respect for others that set him apart, fellow officers and community leaders said.

"He had the utmost respect and courtesy for people who were brought into jail. There were no harsh tones or autocratic attitude," Grubbs said. "He was like an uncle. Typically no one would give him flak."

Aldridge called Cooper a "very, very involved man" who deeply loved the community he served.

"There's really no way to describe what was lost," Aldridge said. "He was an asset to the citizens of this county. He was a law-enforcement representative. He was a partner to the young and the old. He treated everybody with dignity and respect, and he got it back from them. There was no complaint ever on him."

His personnel file is packed with commendations and frequent promotions, Pevehouse said. Cooper began his career with Sebastian County as a detention deputy, then moved to patrol and finally to special services division. He was the department's token "community relations" officer.

"He loved his job. He loved people. He could have retired at any time," Pevehouse said. "I think the only reason he would've ever considered retiring was to spend more time with his wife, Ruth. She was the love of his life."

Robb echoed those sentiments.

"When he wasn't working, if you saw him, you saw her," Robb said.

Hackett Police Chief Darrell Spells, who was grazed in the temple by a bullet when he responded to the same call that fatally wounded Cooper, said Cooper went out of his way to help his law-enforcement family members and was a joker who always left others laughing and smiling.

"He loved his job. Like many of us, he felt like it was a calling. He was just a wonderful person and a perfect example of what an officer should be," Spells said. "I think he would want us to carry on what he was doing, interacting with the community and the kids. He loved the kids."

Robb said Cooper's law enforcement family is dealing with its loss and the fear that comes with seeing one of their own dying in the line of duty.

"Even though our brother was killed, we still put on that leather. We still put on that vest. We still put on that badge. You get in that patrol car," Robb said. "We know what our job is, and we can't let fear take that away.

"You step up, and you stand on that thin blue line."

Funeral service for Cooper is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Fort Smith Convention Center, the Sebastian County sheriff's office announced Friday. A visitation will be 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at First Baptist Church Greenwood.

Metro on 08/13/2016

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