When the Bryan County Sheriff’s Department lost Sergeant Mike Larson last December it had a profound effect not just on the department, but on the community as a whole.

"It’s tough," said Bryan County Sheriff Clyde Smith. "I don’t think we’ll ever be over it."

Today Larson, along with four other officers killed in the line of duty in 2006, will be honored at the 2007 Peace Officer Memorial ceremony at the Georgia Public Safety Center in Forsyth.

Smith said this will be his first time attending the ceremony. Larson was the first officer to lose his life in the line of duty since Smith became sheriff in 1994.

Larson had been with the department nearly eight years when he was killed on Dec. 11, 2006, Smith said. He was responding to a call when he struck an abandoned car at the intersection of Hwys. 204 and 280.

Governor Sonny Perdue will be the keynote speaker at the memorial ceremony.

Along with Larson, officers from the Bibb and DeKalb County Sheriff’s Departments will be remembered, along with an officer from the Atlanta Police Department and another form the Georgia State Patrol.