BOILING SPRING LAKES — On Jan. 18, 2005, Boiling Spring Lakes Police Officer James Mitchell Prince was killed in the line of duty. After pulling over then 19-year old Darrell Maness in a routine traffic stop, a struggle ensued and Officer Prince was shot three times with his own weapon.
Friday, May 5, Law Enforcement United (LFU), a non-profit organization of state, federal and local law enforcement officers, honored his sacrifice as part of the Police Memorial Bike Ride to Washington D.C.
LEU began its journey on May 1 in Brunswick, Georgia, and plan on arriving in Washington by May 12, after a 1,300 mile trek. The riders each raise $1,500 dollars along the way, and that money is donated to C.O.P.S. (Concerns of Police Survivors) in an effort to send the children of fallen officers to summer camp.
A memorial service for Prince was held at the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department Friday, as the riders made their way into the Cape Fear area.
Both of James Prince’s parents, Daphine and James “Larry” Prince, were in attendance Friday afternoon.
According to Prince’s father, “This is just fantastic for both of us. The fact that these guys are raising money to send these kids to camp really honors the officers who’ve lost their lives.”
“As a nation, we need to realize these people are human beings just like us,” Prince said. “It’s not all bad, my son was the guy that if he caught a kid with a beer, he wasn’t going to lock them up over in Bolivia, he’d take them home and have a talk with their parents, so they could learn a lesson without being thrown away.”
According to Prince, his son loved young people and was extremely active in the church. He went on to say if it hadn’t been a kid that he pulled over that night, the situation may have ended differently.
“When this incident happened, he was the only one working that night. The Department didn’t have proper fitting (bullet proof) vests or Tasers,” Prince said. “His nearest backup was in Southport, and by the time the Officer arrived, it was too late.”
The family would like to encourage the public to support local law enforcement, and help encourage our elected officials to find funding for small town police departments like Boiling Spring Lakes.
“Satan took his life that night, but God took his soul,” Prince said.
For more information on Law Enforcement United, to get involved or to find out how you can help, visit its website at leunited.org, or follow the group on Facebook.
