The families of fallen Brookhaven Police Department officers Zach Moak and James White were presented with the officers’ service pistols in a brief ceremony Friday in the Brookhaven City Boardroom.

Cpl. Moak, 31, and patrolman White, 35, lost their lives on Sept. 29, 2018, while responding to an early-morning call of gunfire in a Brookhaven neighborhood. 

On hand for the presentation were Moak’s mother and father Vicki and Marshall Moak, White’s mother and stepfather Laurie and Steve White, State Representative Becky Currie, Mayor Joe Cox, and Police Commander Jonathan Hart.

Rep. Currie said in years past, the service weapon for a fallen or retired officer could only be released to the spouse of the fallen officer or the retired officer him or herself. So, several individuals worked together to get the state law changed to allow the weapon to go to a family member — since not every fallen officer was married. 

Vicki Moak, mother of Zach Moak, said it did not seem fair that a non-married officer’s family would not have the opportunity to have their service weapon. Since creating the non-profit Warriors of the Badge in 2019, she has seen several families who were not able to receive their loved one’s weapon.

“My son was not married, and James (White) was divorced,” she said. But their children, siblings, parents, etc., should have the opportunity for a portion of their law enforcement legacy to be handed down. 

“I want to thank [Brookhaven Police] Chief [Kenneth] Collins,” Currie said. “He helped us all the way through this. He made sure these guns were set aside, and that they were taken care of, and he helped Vicki and I get here.”

“And [former Assistant Chief] Clint Earls … was the one who researched everything and got everything taken care of, as far as paperwork to get it down to here so we could do what we needed to do,” Vicki Moak said. “It was a group effort.”

“And then when we passed the law, I handed it off to [Mayor Joe Cox] who picked up the torch and carried it on through, so it was a lot — it was a group effort,” Currie said.

“I appreciate these two guys who continue to do a lot to support our fallen officers who made the ultimate sacrifice for our community,” Cox said. “I appreciate Commander Jonathan Hart for being here today, and I also appreciate the chief for making this all happen.”