Fallen Deputies Honored With Restored 1969 Impala Police Car

Forty seven years ago, two Forsyth County deputies were murdered in the line of duty during a traffic stop near Cumming, Georgia (about an hour north of Atlanta). Now, the mayor of Cumming, Troy Brumbalow, has unveiled a restored 1969 Chevrolet Impala police car as a tribute to these brave deputies and all other fallen deputies in Forsyth County.

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The Impala has been painted to look just like the police car that Chief Deputy Bill Cantrell and Special Deputy Sheriff Larry Mulkey were driving the night they were gunned down in back in 1972. The two deputies had pulled over a suspicious vehicle that was suspected of being involved in a burglary, and the occupants of that vehicle overpowered the deputies and shot them both. 

Cumming mayor Troy Brumbalow said:

"I am honored to present this tribute to fallen deputies in Forsyth County. This car is a re-creation of the patrol vehicle that Deputy Bill Cantrell and Larry Mulkey were murdered in on January 10, 1972. This project has been a dream of mine for several years and wouldn't have been possible without the help of former Sheriff Donald Pirkle."

As it turns out, the suspects had escaped from prison, and they had already planned to kill any police officers who tried to stop them. Fortunately, Chief Deputy Cantrell and Special Deputy Sheriff Mulkey had managed to write down the license plate number of the car they had pulled over, which later helped police catch the murderers. 

This car will be a memorial to the county's deputies where it will be on permanent display at the city center. In addition to being a fixture there, it will also be used in city parades as a rolling memorial to all law enforcement officers who have paid the ultimate price.

Source: Patch