Marie Tate, a member of CODA’s board of directors, graduated from Beaufort County Sheriff’s Citizen Police Academy on November 15 at the Bluffton campus of Technical College of the Lowcountry.  The academy’s curriculum is a community-oriented program designed to provide citizens with interactive training about law enforcement activity in Beaufort County.
In her talk to fellow graduates, Tate described her motivation for participating in the program.

[caption id="attachment_4602" align="alignleft" width="234" caption="Marie Tate and Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner."]<a href="https://actionclub.site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/News-Mariesherifftanner-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-4602" title="News-Mariesherifftanner" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/News-Mariesherifftanner-234x300.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="300" /></a>[/caption]

In 2002, her husband, Lance Corporal Dana L. Tate, Sr., and his partner, Corporal Dyke “AJ” Coursen, were killed responding to a domestic violence call. Since the tragedy, Tate has committed her energies to ending domestic violence.
She noted that 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the death of the deputies and invited fellow graduates to attend the Tate/Coursen Memorial Walk/Run which will be held Saturday, January 7 at Beaufort Academy. Participants are encouraged to round the track 10 times in memory of each year since the loss of the deputies.
Registration will be at 9:00 a.m. and participants can do the 10 laps anytime between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The event is co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office and Beaufort Academy. Proceeds of the event will assist CODA as it continues its mission sheltering and supporting victims of domestic violence and working toward the goal of a violence-free community. For more information about the walk, call 524-8283 or go to www.codalowcountry.org/tatecoursenrun.html.