Law enforcement tournament honors fallen Durham officer

Law enforcement officers from Durham and across the nation will do “battle” next weekend to raise money for scholarships and to honor a fallen Durham police officer.

The third-annual Martin Luther King Holiday Law Enforcement Basketball Tournament games will be Jan. 11-12 at the Emily Krzyzewski Center on West Chapel Hill Street in Durham.

The tournament honors Durham police Sgt. Elbert Mitchell, who died in a motorcycle accident in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in May 2011.

The Durham team is made up of officers from the Durham Police Department, Durham County Sheriff’s Office and the N.C. Central University Police Department. They will play USA Lockdown at 7 p.m. Friday.

This is the third year that the Battle of the Badges hosts its annual basketball tournament in North Carolina.

Teams scheduled to compete are from Durham, New York, Mecklenburg County, Atlanta, Prince George’s County (Md.) and Connecticut. Since it began, the Battle of the Badges has raised close to $10,000 in scholarship money for students at a Maryland high school.

Battle of the Badges was created in 2000 by Wake County detention officer Jerome Hall to raise scholarship money for college-bound youths in underprivileged areas nationwide, and to honor law enforcement officers who have died. The first Battle was held in Baltimore to honor Maryland State Trooper Cpl. Edward M. Toatley, killed in the line of duty. For the last two years, it was held in Raleigh.

“This event is about more than just playing basketball to me,” said Hall, the event founder and organizer. “It also provides scholarships for worthy students to continue their education, and brings professional men and women together to play a sport they love.”

Admission is $4 per day or $6 for a two-day pass. Players and children under 5 get in free.