Funeral services announced for Chief Blagg

Visitation will be held from 5 -- 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30 at First Baptist Church in Trumann. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church.

Mayor Shelia Walters said the city is doing their best to cope in the aftermath of Tuesday's ice storm and the devastating loss of their friend and chief. She said officers are working around the clock to clear debri despite their sadness over Blagg's loss because they know that's what Blagg would want them to do.

"We've lost someone who was very important to all of us," Mayor Walters said. "Larry was the kind of person for Trumann that all people from Trumann ought to be. "

A 1987 graduate of Trumann High School, Blagg's career with the Trumann Police department began in 1991 when he worked as a part-time reserve officer and a police officer. He was made a full-time officer in 1992 and graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in East Camden in 1993.

In December of 1994 he was promoted to traffic sergeant, to Lt. Traffic Officer in 1998, and to captain and assistant chief in 2004. He became the police chief following the death of Chief Corky Richardson in April of 2004.

During his 17 years in the police department, Blagg completed many specialized training courses in areas varying from grant writing to drug lab investigating. He even completed courses to learn Spanish and how to be an advanced child abuse investigator.

Children were also a passion of Blagg's. He started the department's COPS for Kids program and coached youth league baseball and basketball.

"Larry cared about the community," Walters said. "He cared about his neighbors. He cared for individuals. It didn't matter if you were rich or poor he treated you well. It didn't matter if you had a drug problem. If there was any way he could help you, he would."

"Word's can't describe how much respect we all had for Larry," said Tony Rusher, assistant police chief. "Everyone who worked for him respected him. He wasn't just a boss, he was a leader and that's what made him different."

Rusher said the department is working right now to make sure Blagg's family is taken care of and that he has a funeral that properly honors a man who always put others first.

"Chief Blagg was a family man," Rusher said. "He didn't want his son to not be safe walking to a ball game because someone was out dealing drugs on the streets or driving drunk. He thought of and treated everyone else in the town like family, doing his best to make the town as safe as possible."

It was Chief Blagg's desire to keep everyone else safe that put him out on the streets Tuesday working to clear debris from the roads. Rusher said they worked all day, not only clearing roads, but also stopping to help clear people's driveways when he could as well.

"That's just the kind of man Larry was," Rusher said. "If anyone had a problem, even if it was personal, they would go to him. He always had the answers. And, if something in your house broke down, you could call Larry and he would come over to help you fix it."

"This town will never be able to replace him no matter who they give the job to," Rusher said. "Right now we're going to continue pushing forward with the things that he worked so far for, and out of respect for him we're going to do the very best we can."