At a dedication ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery in Beaumont, Texas, the Beaumont Police Department and local preservation groups unveiled a plaque honoring special police officer George Frederick and described ongoing efforts to mark and care for graves of law enforcement officers.

Chief Tim Ognachek of the Beaumont Police Department opened remarks saying the department prizes service and community-minded action. “Beaumont officers have a long history of running toward the sound of gunfire,” Ognachek said. He called Frederick’s off-duty actions “a great example” and added, “It’s a travesty that recognition of such a heroic and selfless action took over a 122 years to occur.”

The event included a presentation by Herbert “Bert” Sims, president and founder of Operation Blue Remembrance. Sims said his nonprofit documents and marks graves of fallen officers, provides flags and headstones where needed, and posts grave photos on its website. “We have been to approximately 1,400 gravesites over six states,” Sims said, and as of the date of the ceremony his organization had provided 16 headstones and two plaques. He thanked local volunteers and partners, including Kate Hambrick of the Jefferson County Historical Society and Sergeant Bobby Anderson of the Beaumont Police Department.

Sandra Will Turner, founder of the Evergreen Cemetery Foundation, spoke about restoring and caring for the multicultural burial ground, which she described as containing graves of Buffalo Soldiers and war veterans. “Evergreen needs some dedicated foot soldiers who are willing to work,” Turner said, calling for continued volunteer support to maintain the site’s graves and markers.

Organizers opened and closed the ceremony with invocations and prayers delivered by Pastor Vernon Tubbs of First Full Gospel Baptist Church and Pastor James Boykin of Sabine Tabernacle Church. The program concluded with acknowledgments from event hosts and a request that attendees continue support for cemetery upkeep and remembrance efforts.

The plaque honoring Officer George Frederick and the work described by Operation Blue Remembrance and the Evergreen Cemetery Foundation aim to ensure that officers and other community members buried at Evergreen are documented and remembered, organizers said.