A North Augusta Department of Public Safety officer has been nominated for inclusion in the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame.
Officer Dustin Beasley lost his battle with COVID-19 on August 30, 2021.
Public Safety Chief John Thomas made the announcement at the Feb. 28 study session.
“I’ve been in contact with South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Hall of Fame, and they will induct Dustin into that prestigious honor that obviously he’s well deserved,” he said. “That’ll take place in May. We collected all the information and given it to that entity.”
Thomas said this is tied to the national Police Week activities held each year in Washington, D.C. There is a memorial honoring men and women who died in the line of duty dating back to the 1800s, many due to acts of violence.
Then COVID-19 brought into specific focus the number of people in law enforcement who have died because they kept working.
“During this worldwide pandemic, you know, hundreds of law enforcement officers died from the medical complications. That was a big part of what law enforcement did during 2020, trying to get a handle on, you know, what precautions we can take and how we can avoid being involved or engaged around people who had COVID,” Thomas said.
Beasley’s wife, Candace, is a teacher at Clearwater Elementary School.
“He was in the ICU for 19 days. I didn’t get to see him or anything. I got to talk to, like with FaceTime, but of course, he wasn’t responding. So, I knew it was coming when they called me in for the last visit, when we had to make our decision. It wasn’t just all of a sudden, because I got to prep. But I mean, it was very, very hard.”
Candace Beasley said the North Augusta’s Department of Public Safety and the school district have rallied around her.
“I’ve definitely been blessed with all the support we’ve gotten. I really could have could not have done it without everyone supporting me and helping me and just being there for me and my son,” Candace Beasley said.
Now, her husband will be honored by the law enforcement community.
“And he definitely deserves it. There are so many great officers out there, but I might be biased, but he was definitely a fantastic officer,” she said. “He loved what he did. He did it for almost eight years, with different agencies. And he absolutely loved his job. All the agencies have really come together and showed how much they loved and supported him as well.”
“It’s a very bittersweet moment for us. And it’s one of those things that hit home not only for us, but for the for the whole community at large,” said Thomas. And it’s one of those things that obviously we never want to do. But when we pay honor to one of our own, I think it sticks out. It tells people that you know, we’re human too, and we were susceptible to everything out there. Like somebody said the other day, heroes don’t always wear capes.”
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Candace and Dustin Beasley had been together six years and married for three years. Their son, Carter, is just two years old.
Candace Beasley said she will make sure their son knows everything about the father he had so briefly.
“I keep a shelf in our house that has all of Dustin’s police things. I have his uniform, it has his fire helmet, things like that,” she said. “Being a police officer was one of his greatest accomplishments, but he also played football and he was part of different organizations around his small town that he grew up in. So, I want my son to know everything that his dad did. Not just the law enforcement side.”
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
