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Bench Dedicated For Fallen Officer At SMU

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The SMU Police Department remembered one of their own who died last year in a flash flood.

Fellow officers dedicated a memorial bench on campus for Officer Mark McCullers.

McCullers was working a private security job when flood waters swept over his vehicle and washed him into Turtle Creek in July 2016.

The bench is something SMU police officers will see every day on their way to work.   It's in a prominent spot ear the Hughes-Trigg Student Center.

"You think of your family and how every shift could be your last," said Sgt. Brian Kelly.  "It's just a great reminder of who Mark was and for ourselves the dangers we face in our profession."

McCullers, a Marine and a father to six children, was at a construction site in the area when strong storms moved through North Texas and flash flooding brought the creek's water level up above bridges.

Reports say he called 911 from his car and, at one point, stated that the water was up to the hood of his vehicle.

Emergency crews quickly responded to the scene but, by the time that they arrived, the water had already dropped back down below the bridge — and there was no sign of McCullers or his car.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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