Police Escort for Private Contractor Killed in Afghanistan
ATLANTA - A large contingency of law enforcement wound its way to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport Friday night. It included were squad cars from Atlanta Police, Georgia State Patrol, sheriff's deputies and brass from Bartow County, Butts County, Floyd County and others.
It was an escort to bring back the remains of private contractor Barry Sutton to Rome. He was one of three DynCorp civilian contractors killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a NATO convoy in Kabul, Afghanistan last weekend.
"I think what you're seeing here is a brotherhood through law enforcement, regardless if he's training a foreign agency or working here serving the people of this county or state of Georgia, he lost his life," said Sheriff Gary Long with the Butts County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Gary Long was a roommate with Sutton in Afghanistan when the Sheriff' was also a private contractor. Sutton joined DynCorp in 2011 where he was a police trainer/mentor to Afghan security forces.
Before that he spent nearly 14 years with the Floyd County Police Department. In 2009 Sutton joined the Floyd County Sheriff's Office. One of his former supervisors said Sutton was an original.
"Barry when he first came to work with us in the late 90's was one of the ones that just hit the ground running and as a shift supervisor I would have taken a whole shift full of Barry Suttons," said retired Captain George Lemming.
He said he was honored to help in the convoy and funeral arrangements for Barry Sutton. He said Sutton's dedication to law enforcement and country was matched only by his dedication to his family, particularly his daughters. Lemming said the life of a private contractor included a lucrative salary but also inherent dangers.
"We live with danger but Barry lived with it way worse than we do but he accepted that. Everything he did was for his family," said Lemming.
FOX 5 News was told visitation for Barry Sutton is scheduled for Monday afternoon at four at Church at Northside in Rome.
The funeral services are scheduled for the next day at the same time at the same location.