Though the incident is painful for some to remember, the shooting death of a local police officer 38 years ago tonight represents a sacrifice the community should never forget, say persons striving to honor his memory.

Det. Clinton Monroe Boggs, 38, was fatally shot on Feb. 25, 1971, after he had stopped a northbound stolen car along US. 52-Bypass. This occurred just short of the exit ramp leading to the intersection of N.C. 89 and what is now Independence Boulevard.

Boggs had followed the vehicle from a car dealership on U.S. 601 where it had been taken, after volunteering for a nighttime stakeout at the business in response to a rash of vehicle thefts.

For the Surry County law enforcement community, Boggs’ slaying was especially tough to take, as he was the third officer gunned down within a 25-month period. Pilot Mountain patrolmen Glenn L. Branscome and Ralph East had been shot to death on Feb. 3, 1969 after trying to arrest suspects in an armed robbery.

“There is not a year that goes by that I don’t remember the two officers that were killed in Pilot Mountain and the death of Monroe Boggs in Mount Airy,” said David Beal. Beal is now a member of the city Board of Commissioners, but in February 1971 was an agent with the State Bureau of Investigation who helped track down Boggs’ murderer.

Beal, who earlier had served as police chief of Mount Airy, added Tuesday of the trio of tragedies that “although they happened 38 and 40 years ago, the memory of the nights that they were killed stays with you forever.”

Although other members of the Mount Airy Police Department have died while on the job, Boggs is the only one in the history of the force lost at the hands of a murderer.

“As I remember, he had volunteered to man the stakeout the night he was killed,” Beal recalled.

Det. Boggs was not scheduled to work the night of Feb. 25, 1971, but had been assigned to try to crack a difficult case in which car thieves were plaguing local auto dealerships. Their scheme involved test-driving vehicles during the day, having copies made of the keys, then returning at night to steal them.

Boggs had staked out a location that he thought might be the next target, which proved correct. But he did not live to see the investigation reach fruition due to the events unfolding on that winter night 38 years ago, which ended with him being shot four times.

“That was an act on his part that was above and beyond the call of duty,” Beal said of the circumstances leading to the detective’s fatal shooting.

The slaying sparked a massive manhunt by the SBI and other agencies, resulting in the killer being tracked to Carroll County, Va. He ended up being captured on a mountainside near Cana — about the same time that the slain officer was being laid to rest.

Bridge Naming

To Chet Jessup of Pilot Mountain, an officer with the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement Division who has led efforts to honor Boggs and members of other departments around Surry, those left behind are obligated to ensure Boggs’ sacrifice is never forgotten.

Since 1971, “A whole generation of people has either passed away or moved on and the new generation has no idea (of Boggs’ heroism),” Jessup said. He added that one thing he is trying to accomplish through ongoing recognition of officers who’ve died in the line of duty is making sure each new generation never forgets what they’ve done.

Jessup said that on tonight’s anniversary of Boggs’ death, he would like for area residents to remember the risks police officers continue to take on their behalf. “When you’re home safe with your loved ones, think about the guys that are still out there working,” he said.

One way in which the law enforcement community is affected by such tragedies is trying to determine what might have gone wrong to cause them, Jessup said. That was true of Boggs’ slaying as well. “He was basically just a sitting duck when he stepped out,” he added.

In the years that have passed, officers have refined approach techniques to lessen their chances of being targets. Fortunately, such roadside shootings are far less common than they once were.

One key way in which Clinton Monroe Boggs will be remembered is an upcoming renaming of the two bridges on N.C. 89 (West Pine Street) that cross U.S. 52, within sight of the spot where he was killed. The twin bridges will be named in his honor during a ceremony planned for May 9.

The N.C. Board of Transportation gave final state approval to the naming of the bridges during a meeting on Feb. 5. That occurred after both the Mount Airy and Surry County boards of commissioners passed resolutions seeking the honor involving the bridges that are part of the state highway system.

This will ensure that everyone who crosses those bridges in the future will know the name Clinton Monroe Boggs.

Beal believes the designation is highly fitting, and he applauds the efforts that are making it possible.

“I’m so glad that the people of Surry County have not forgotten those officers who served and died in the line of duty.”

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.