By Pat Culverhouse
In the evening hours of July 9, 2021, Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office Sgt. William “Billy” Earl Collins Jr. was shot and killed in the line of duty while answering a disturbance call in Doyline where he was a part-time police officer.
He was 53 years old.
Exactly five years later, on the morning of July 9, 2026, a portion of LA Hwy. 163 in his home town was dedicated to his memory. A sign proclaiming the Sgt. William “Billy” Earl Collins Jr. Memorial Highway was unveiled to honor his sacrifice.
“Five years ago today we received the phone call that every law enforcement family does not want to get,” Collins’ daughter, Lauren Curry, told the crowd gathered for the occasion. “He was only .3 miles from his recliner. It was walking distance.”
Curry said the Collins family has accepted they now belong to the family known as Law Enforcement Survivors. They have also learned what it means to have support from more than just family.
“Our support system is a small town,” she said. “Doyline and others have been our support. And we choose happiness received from that support. And now, we can see the sign. That’s what matters, that everyone who sees it will remember his name.”
Sheriff Jason Parker said he remembers the night he received the phone call.
“I remember the emotions. But I remember he was there, doing his job. He was already off duty that night, but he was still ready to do his duty,” Parker said. “He was one of a kind. He won’t ever be forgotten.”
Doyline Chief of Police Robbie Hayden, who recently retired as Patrol Commander at the Sheriff’s Office, told the crowd that a day does not go by that he doesn’t think of Collins.
“Every time I cranked up my mower he would come over,” Hayden remembered.
State Representative Wayne McMahen, who emceed the event, introduced the bill in the state Legislature dedicating the portion of highway to Collins.
“Memories are bittersweet,” McMahen told the group. “We keep them and we move ahead.”
McMahen issued special thanks to the state Dept. of Transportation and Development (DOTD) for their assistance in expediting the designation.
“Usually these things take time, but I contacted David North with DOTD and explained we had a small window, that we wanted to do this on this particular date,” he said. “They helped make it happen.”
