Late State Trooper from Cedartown to be honored by road dedication

PRESS RELEASE

Georgia DOT Commissioner Keith Golden and Georgia Department of Public Safety Commissioner Colonel Mark McDonough are pleased to announce that a section of State Route 6 in Polk County will be named in honor of State Trooper Billy Arthur Tanner who lost his life in line of duty on April 11, 1970.

The dedication ceremony, in accordance with a legislative resolution, will be held on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at Wimberly Hill Baptist Church, located at 200 Wimberly Hill Loop in Cedartown.

The public and the media are invited to attend the ceremony, which is scheduled between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.

A native of Cedartown, Georgia, Trooper Tanner attended the 35th Trooper School and was assigned to service in the city of Calhoun and exhibited extraordinary devotion to duty, outstanding loyalty to his colleagues and the State of Georgia, meticulous attention to details in his work and effective leadership.

Tragically, the life of this dedicated law enforcement officer was cut short after a patrol car crash on State Route 225 in Calhoun.

To honor his life, Georgia General Assembly passed a resolution to designate the portion of Georgia Highway 6 from the US 27 Bypass to the western city limit of Rockmart in Polk County as the Trooper Billy Arthur Tanner Memorial Highway.