Madison County Sheriff Kevin Turner today remembered a 30-year veteran of the department as a tireless worker and family man following his death from COVID-19.
Deputy Steve Finley, a criminal investigator, died at Huntsville Hospital Friday with his family by his side. He began his career as a correctional officer in 1993 and later became a criminal investigator, a post he held for 21 years.
In a news conference today, Turner said he felt a statement was necessary as the department had lost “one of the best friends we’ve had.”
“Anytime you lose someone, whether it be a friend, whether it be a relative, or a family member... but when you go to work every day, your coworkers are your family,” Turner said.
“Steve Finley could not be a better police officer. He could not be a better investigator, than he was. But he is somewhere who took care of anybody who was in his house. I can’t say enough great things.”
Turner said Finley distinguished himself on murder cases, cold cases, or whatever job was “in front of him.”
“There was never a hiccup with him. Everything he did, he went out and did his best,” he said.
A preliminary report from the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum states that 458 local, state, tribal and federal officers died in the line of duty in 2021, with 301 dying of COVID-19.
The virus claimed 182 officers in 2020.
That marks two years in a row where the virus was the leading cause of death for law enforcement officers.
Turner said Finley’s death was sudden, and conversations have taken place in criminal investigations as coworkers try to cope with the loss.
“It was something I didn’t see coming,” he said. “They’re going to come together, they’re going to continue to come in and do their job, and we’re going to continue to serve Madison County.”
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