Sign Ceremony to be held Thursday, June 7th to honor fallen Clarksville Police officers David Scott and Yamil Baez-Santiago

Event will mark the tenth anniversary of tragic deaths of officers

Nashville, TN – Local officials will unveil a highway sign Thursday in memory of Clarksville Police Officers David Scott and Yamil Baez-Santiago, who were killed in the line of duty ten years ago this week, said Tennessee State Representative Joe Pitts.

“In memory of these fine officers, Tennessee Public Chapter 533, enacted by the Tennessee General Assembly this year names a stretch of state route 374, 101st Airborne Division Parkway in memory of these brave public servants” said Pitts (D-Clarksville).

The event will be held at Heritage Park (take the first left as you enter the Park from Peachers Mill Road — there is a pavilion nearby where the event will take place) Thursday, June 7th, 2012 at 12:45pm. There will be brief remarks culminating with a moment of silence at 1:17pm to mark the exact time the call was dispatched.  The highway signs will be placed at mile marker 11 and unveiled after the ceremony.

Public Chapter No. 533

Senate Bill No. 2125

By Barnes
Substituted for: House Bill No. 2171
By Pitts, Curtis Johnson, Tidwell

AN ACT to name a segment of State Route 374 in honor of the late Officer David Scott and the late Officer Yamil Baez-Santiago of the Clarksville Police Department.

WHEREAS, our nation was conceived by individuals who were willing to sacrifice their own concerns to ensure our collective freedom and personal safety, and the Volunteer State is especially proud to be the home of so many valiant men and women who have performed above and beyond the call of duty; and

WHEREAS, in providing for the domestic tranquility of the community as a whole, society recognizes the need for a system of laws; the enforcement of the law has been entrusted to a small number of dedicated individuals who daily face the rigors of human conflict in protecting those whom they so selflessly serve; and

WHEREAS, the people of Tennessee are fortunate to be served by the brave and dedicated law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line while carrying out their essential duties; and

WHEREAS, Officer David Scott and Officer Yamil Baez-Santiago of the Clarksville Police Department were two such outstanding public servants; citizens across the state and the members of the General Assembly were greatly saddened by their tragic and untimely deaths in the line of duty on June 7th, 2002; and

WHEREAS, both men truly enjoyed being a police officer, and they evidenced uncommon dedication to their duties despite the long hours and the uncertain and often dangerous nature of their profession; and

WHEREAS, Officer Scott and Officer Baez-Santiago performed their appointed duties in an admirable manner that distinguished them as a credit to both their community and their profession; Clarksville was undoubtedly made a better and safer place to live during their service; and

WHEREAS, a great tragedy befell the State of Tennessee on the fateful day of June 7th, 2002, when Officer David Scott and Officer Yamil Baez-Santiago lost their lives while pursuing a robbery suspect on the 101 st Airborne Division Parkway (State Route 37 4 ); and

WHEREAS, the citizens of Clarksville, and indeed the entire State, felt the deep pain produced by this terrible and wasteful loss of two of our best and brightest law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, Officer David Scott and Officer Yamil Baez-Santiago left behind an indelible legacy of integrity, probity, and valor in their public lives as law enforcement officers, compassion and loyalty in private life, and dedication in all their chosen endeavors; and

WHEREAS, this General Assembly wishes to permanently commemorate the bountiful lives of these exceptional police officers and human beings by naming in their honor a certain segment of the 101 st Airborne Division Parkway, on which they lost their lives in furtherance of public safety; now, therefore,

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the segment of State Route 374 (101st Airborne Division Parkway) from mile marker 11 to the Fort Campbell Boulevard exit is designated the “Officers David Scott and Yamil Baez-Santiago Memorial Parkway” as a lasting tribute to two exemplary public servants who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting their community and fellow citizens.

SB 2125
SECTION 2. The Department of Transportation is directed to erect suitable markers or to affix suitable signs designating the segment of State Route 374 described in Section 1 as the “Officers David Scott and Yamil Baez-Santiago Memorial Parkway”.

SECTION 3. This act shall become operative only if the federal highway administrator advises the Commissioner of Transportation in writing that the provisions of this act shall not render Tennessee in violation of federal laws and regulations and subject to penalties prescribed therein.

SECTION 4. The erection of such signs shall be within the guidelines prescribed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

SECTION 5. This act shall become operative only if the City of Clarksville, Tennessee, remits the estimated cost of the erection of such signs to the Department of Transportation within one (1) year of the effective date of this act. The City of Clarksville shall make payment of the estimated cost prior to any expenditure by the state for manufacture or installation of such signs. The department shall return any unused portion of the estimated costs to the City of Clarksville within thirty (30) days of the erection of such signs. If the actual cost exceeds the estimated cost, the City of Clarksville shall remit an amount equal to the difference in such costs to the department within thirty (30) days of receiving an itemized invoice of the actual cost from the department.

SECTION 6. The appellation “Officers David Scott and Yamil Baez-Santiago Memorial Parkway” provided for in this act is for honorary purposes only and nothing contained herein shall be construed as requiring the alteration of any address, or the governmental system for assigning addresses, in any county, municipality or other governmental entity affected by this act.

SECTION 7. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.