End of Watch: July 31, 2025
One year ago, Sergeant Fredrick T. Coleman, Sr. answered a call for assistance from a fellow officer at the Cummins Unit in Arkansas. It was the kind of response that reflected the way he had served throughout his 15-year career: without hesitation and with concern for those around him.
Sergeant Coleman suffered a fatal heart attack while rushing to help another officer during an emergency. He was only 45 years old.
Today, the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation joins the Arkansas Department of Corrections, the Cummins Unit and the entire corrections community in remembering a respected leader, dedicated public servant, beloved family man and trusted friend.
Answering the Call
At approximately 11:34 a.m. on July 31, 2025, an all-code assistance call was issued at the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County. Sergeant Coleman immediately responded, rushing to the aid of a fellow officer.
During that response, he collapsed and struck his head on the floor. Staff members and emergency personnel administered lifesaving measures before he was transported to Dumas Medical Center. Despite their efforts, Sergeant Coleman could not be saved.
His final act was one of service—moving toward an emergency because another officer needed help.
Within correctional facilities, calls for assistance require immediate action. There is often little time to assess what may be waiting on the other side of a door, along a corridor or elsewhere within the institution. Officers respond because they know their coworkers are relying on them.
Sergeant Coleman answered that call as he had answered so many others throughout his career.
Fifteen Years of Dedicated Service
Sergeant Coleman began his career with the Arkansas Department of Corrections in 2010 and devoted all 15 years of his service to the Cummins Unit.
Those who worked beside him knew him for his strength, work ethic, kindness and generous spirit. He was a leader who earned the respect of his colleagues through his actions and the way he treated others. His steady presence and commitment made an enduring difference within the facility.
In 2022, Division of Correction Director Dexter Payne presented Sergeant Coleman with the Director’s Outstanding Service Award in recognition of the valuable work he performed at the Cummins Unit. The award reflected what his colleagues already understood: Sergeant Coleman’s service went beyond completing the responsibilities of his position. He cared deeply about his work, his facility and the people serving beside him.
His title identified him as a supervisor, but his character made him a leader.
The Man Beyond the Uniform
Sergeant Coleman’s service was an important part of his life, but it was not the whole of who he was.
Beyond the gates of the Cummins Unit, he was a devoted husband, father of six and grandfather of two. His family was central to his life, and the greatest weight of his loss is carried by those who knew and loved him not as Sergeant Coleman, but as a husband, father, grandfather and loved one.
A line-of-duty death affects an entire agency, but its deepest impact is always felt at home. The conclusion of a funeral does not conclude a family’s grief. The uniforms are eventually returned to duty and public ceremonies come to an end, but the empty place at the table remains.
On this first anniversary, we remember Sergeant Coleman’s family and recognize the birthdays, holidays, milestones and everyday moments they have endured without him during the past year.
Honored at PROJECT 2000 XXXVII
In June 2026, CPOF had the solemn honor of recognizing Sergeant Coleman at PROJECT 2000 XXXVII in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Each year, PROJECT brings together surviving families, correctional professionals, honor guard members, supporters and friends from across the country to ensure that those lost in the line of duty are remembered with dignity. It is a time to speak their names, tell their stories and remind their families that they remain part of the correctional family.
During this year’s gathering, Sergeant Coleman was honored alongside other correctional professionals who made the ultimate sacrifice. His name became part of a lasting tradition of remembrance—one built upon the promise that neither a fallen officer nor the family left behind will be forgotten.
It was a privilege for CPOF to honor Sergeant Coleman’s 15 years of service and to recognize the sacrifice made by him and his family.
PROJECT may last only a few days, but the commitment represented there continues throughout the year. It is the commitment to remember, to support and to stand beside the families of correctional professionals long after the ceremonies have ended.
A Legacy of Character and Service
A person’s legacy is found not only in awards, titles or years of service, but in the lives touched along the way.
Sergeant Coleman’s legacy can be found in the officers he mentored, the coworkers he supported and the example he set inside the Cummins Unit. It lives in the family he loved, the community he served and the colleagues who continue to carry his memory with them.
It can also be found in the circumstances of his final response. When another officer needed help, Sergeant Coleman moved toward the call. That willingness to place the safety of another before oneself reflects the strength of character for which he was known.
One Year Later, We Remember
The first anniversary of a loss is especially difficult. It marks an entire year of firsts—a first holiday, first birthday and first family gathering without someone whose presence once seemed certain.
For Sergeant Coleman’s family and colleagues, July 31 will forever carry the memory of the day their lives changed. It is also a day for the wider correctional community to pause, say his name and recognize what his service meant.
The Correctional Peace Officers Foundation joins Sergeant Coleman’s wife, children, grandchildren, extended family, friends and Arkansas Department of Corrections family in honoring him on the first anniversary of his End of Watch.
We remember his 15 years of faithful service.
We remember the leadership and kindness he brought to the Cummins Unit.
We remember his devotion to his family.
We remember his immediate response when a fellow officer needed assistance.
And we remember the sacrifice he made while carrying out the responsibilities he had accepted with honor.
Sergeant Fredrick T. Coleman, Sr.
Arkansas Department of Corrections
End of Watch: July 31, 2025
Rest peacefully, Sergeant Coleman. Your service was honorable, your sacrifice was profound and your place within the correctional family will never be forgotten.