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Mosaic at Medford station honors officer killed in line of duty Medford Chief of Police Randy Sparacino speaks Wednesday during a public art dedication ceremony at the Medford Police Station. [Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch] Wednesday Nov 15, 2017 at 5:41 PM Nov 15, 2017 at 6:42 PM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Medford's newest display of public art offers a tribute to the city's only law enforcement officer lost in the line of duty. A colorful new mosaic honoring Constable George Prescott was installed Wednesday morning in front of the Medford Police Department at 219 S. Ivy St. The mosaic features a large police shield embedded with a picture of Prescott, the phrase “Your Police, Our Community,” and various memorabilia, including old badges and a handcuff key. Talent artist Karen Rycheck made the mosaic after much research into Prescott, and she said it was an honor to create a piece of public art to remind citizens of Prescott’s sacrifice. Prescott was shot and killed March 16, 1933, while serving a warrant on Llewellyn A. Banks, publisher of the Medford Daily News. Banks had ordered the destruction of election ballots set for recounting in a sheriff’s election. Banks had threatened to kill any officer who tried to arrest him prior to Prescott and three other officers arriving at his home. Banks’ wife answered the door, then tried to close it when officers informed her of the warrant. Prescott stuck his foot in the door to prevent it from closing as Banks fired a rifle, striking Prescott in the chest. He died at the scene. A Mail Tribune editorial said Prescott previously had served as a juvenile officer under Judge Ben B. Lindsey, charged with handling “the unfortunate and erring youth who Lindsey especially sought to help.” “He had a splendid blend of those qualities which make a real human being, and in his quiet, inoffensive way, he performed the duties of his office fearlessly and efficiently,” the editorial said. Rycheck said she was honored to create the tribute to Prescott and to give a face to a name commonly heard in the community. “It felt like a really big honor to create this. Anything else that has been done about him has been like a plaque, or they name things after him, but nothing to let people connect with him or see a picture,” Rycheck said. “When you see a picture of the person, it’s a really different feeling from just reading about them on a plaque. You can read about Rosa Parks forever, but when you see a picture of her, it’s a completely different feeling. I really wanted to include things from the department itself.” The Medford Arts Commission allocated $10,000 for the project and took a handful of submissions, with Rycheck being the only local artist to submit a proposal. Simone Stewart, vice chair of the commission and chair of the Medford Police Department public art selection committee, said the police building was an ideal place for such an important piece of public art. “I personally felt strongly about putting a piece of art in front of the new police department,” she said. “I felt like people should have a reason to go to the building other than for police business, and we wanted something nice for our officers and other personnel to see.” Deputy Chief Brett Johnson said the artwork was a nice addition to the building entrance. Johnson said Prescott’s service has been remembered “from each generation to the next.” “It’s been passed along to officers from each generation what he meant to us and his sacrifice. After all, there but for the grace of God go I,” Johnson said. “When we started talking about something in terms of public art for the department, the Prescott theme was something everybody within the department thought would be awesome to have. “Thankfully there’s only been one officer lost in the history of our department, but that makes him that much more special. We train and we use tactics to ensure that we put our officers in the least amount of risk as possible. People like to be able to look back and remember he gave the ultimate sacrifice.” — Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].