Lt. Stephen P. Williams

On June 2, 2020, Stephen P. Williams, a police officer for the City of Moody, Alabama, gave his life in the service of his community. At 50 years old, Stephen was more than just a police officer, a career that he loved for over 23 years. He was a friend. He was a mentor. He was a leader in his community when he did not have to be and strove to narrow the gap between police and the community, but more than these, to his fellow law enforcement officers, he was a brother and he was loved and respected as one who did it the right way.

Stephen was born on September 15, 1969 and raised in Mississippi. He attended and graduated from Mississippi State University and went on to serve his country in the United States Air Force. Stephen began his law enforcement career with the Bessemer Police Department. He then served the cities of Alabaster and Calera before transferring to the City of Moody, where he was recently promoted to the rank of sergeant. In his short time with the City of Moody, he impacted the lives of not only many of the residents of the community, but those of each of the police officers that served with him. Stephen took pride in mentoring and teaching the young police officers entering on duty and took the time to impress on them not just the normal things a training officer may impart on a new officer, but how to see all members of the community in a way that is so important for a police officer, as real people. People who often at the lowest part of their lives, deserved the compassion and respect of those who not only enforced the law, but those that tempered that enforcement with love for their fellow man.

Stephen received the Keith Turner Officer of the Year award recently and it showed how respected he was by those he served with. Stephen also actively worked in his personal time to continue to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the communities they serve. He was one of three founders of Humanizing the Badge, an initiative to promote law enforcement as the servants and real people they are and share those positive efforts with the rest of the world. Stephen routinely went out of his way to help better those in the community and took pride in those efforts. While the true success of Humanizing the Badge cannot be accurately measured, it is safe to say that Stephen’s efforts and dedication has undoubtedly allowed law enforcement’s positive attributes to not be lost in the storms of controversy and discord. Stephen was a police officer, but before that, he was a human being that cared and loved others, and he set the standard that law enforcement will strive to meet as they move forward.

In addition to being one who loved people he barely knew, Stephen was also a loving husband and father, who married the love of his life Michelle, only 9 months ago. Those who knew him said the last several months with his wife were easily the happiest of his entire life. Stephen’s children meant the world to him, and he took immense pride in their successes. Aspen, Lake, Cole, Brandon, and Kourtnie were proud of their father and his work to help others. Lake and Cole took up their father’s sense of service. Lake recently graduated and Cole is in his final year at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Stephen was well known for his talent as a singer and regularly entertained others with his incredible voice. He also had a passion for motorcycles and loved nothing more than to be able to go riding with his friends.

Moody Chief of Police Thomas Hunt recently promoted Stephen to the rank of Lieutenant posthumously. Stephen held the rank of Lieutenant with the Alabaster Police Department and that rank became his nickname and is what many around the world knew him as, “LT”. It is fitting that he will be laid to rest with the same rank.

The world will miss him and is undoubtedly a better place because of him. “LT” will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace Stephen.