PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – A service was held Monday in Broward County to honor Officer Charles “Charlie” Herring, a Pembroke Pines Police Department motorman and father of four who died while on duty.
After a private service at Saint Bonaventure Church in Davie, city officials held a public service at the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines.
“He was so much more than just a cop; he was my hero,” Herring’s son Evan Herring said through tears. “He taught me honor and respect.”
Pembroke Pines Police Chief Kipp Shimpeno described him as a “caring soul” during his public statement at the center. Herring, 54, served with the department for over two decades.
“Our heart was broken on February 9th because no one knows why he was called away,” Shimpeno said.
Herring’s brother-in-law Kyle Mackliff thanked the community for their support, sharing how Herring was a selfless mentor and a role model.
“You had a habit of literally saying hello to everybody you crossed paths with,” Mackliff said. “You came into my life and changed it forever.”
Herring was riding the department’s 2020 Harley Davidson Police Road King motorcycle southbound on Northwest 184th Avenue near Sheridan Street when a large palm frond dropped and caused him to lose control and collide with two large palm trees, according to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
Fire Rescue personnel took Herring to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood where a doctor pronounced him dead. BSO detectives who investigated the cause of the crash determined that Herring was not impaired or speeding, and his motorcycle did not malfunction when he crashed.
Officers escort Herring’s body