” I have been where you fear to go… I have seen what you fear to see…I have done what you fear to do…All these things I’ve done for you. I am the one you lean upon…The one you cast your scorn upon…The one you bring your troubles to…All these people I’ve been for you. The one you ask to stand apart…The one you feel should have no heart…The one you call the man in blue… But I am human just like you.”
Forever Remembered
Benjamin H. Crider
Chief of Police
Chief of Police Ben Crider, age 30, was shot and killed by a man he was attempting to arrest for disorderly conduct. As Chief Crider fell, he returned fire, killing the suspect.
Chief Crider had arrested the man in the past, and the subject had kept a grudge against him.
When Chief Crider tried to arrest him again, the man shot him several times. Despite his wounds, Chief Crider returned fire and killed the man.
Chief Crider had served with the Carrollton Police Department for several years. He was survived by his wife and two children.
Tony Garrett
Police Officer Tony Garrett succumbed to injuries he received in an automobile crash during a high-speed vehicle pursuit with an intoxicated driver that lasted for 45 minutes and went through two counties on December 26, 1975.
Officer Garrett was a passenger in the patrol car that was pursuing a suspect who had run a Georgia State trooper off the road. During the pursuit, the patrol car overturned on a curve on Hickory Level Road. Both officers were transported to the hospital, where Officer Garrett passed away from head injuries two days later. The other officer and the trooper were treated for minor injuries and released.
The suspect was apprehended after pointing a gun at officers at a roadblock in Douglas County. He was charged with aggravated assault.
Officer Garrett was a United States Army Vietnam War veteran and had served with the Carrollton Police Department for three years. He was survived by his wife, mother, sister, and brother
Jimmy Johnson
Officer Jimmy Johnson was critically wounded on November 11, 1980, while responding to an armed suspect in Carrollton. The suspect, a Florida prison escapee involved in a planned drug deal, took Johnson hostage and shot him in the back during a struggle before being wounded and arrested by other officers. Johnson was partially paralyzed and endured severe, lasting pain despite months of rehabilitation. He briefly returned to police work but left the department in 1983 and received the Medal of Valor and Purple Heart. He died on May 26, 2010, from complications of the gunshot wound, and his death was ruled a homicide. Johnson had served nearly four years with the Carrollton Police Department and was survived by his wife.
Dustin Krish
Police Officer Dustin Krish succumbed to injuries he received when he was struck by the driver of a car while directing traffic on June 11, 2025.
Officer Krish was directing traffic on Highway 27 in Carrollton due to construction lane closures. A car traveling southbound passed through the light, struck Officer Krish, and then crashed into another vehicle. Officer Krish was airlifted to Marietta’s Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, where he underwent multiple surgeries for severe brain injuries.
On June 2, 2026, his condition deteriorated, and he passed away on June 9, 2026.
Officer Krish had served with the Carrollton Police Department for over three years. Survivors include his wife, parents, brother, who also serves with the agency, a niece, and two nephews.