It was a manhunt the likes of which had never taken place in Cherokee County, and one of the most intense ever conducted in the Southeast.

As it became evident that a serial killer was stalking our county, the scope of the investigation expanded to include the talents of more than 100 individuals.

Police officers from neighboring cities and counties, agents from the State Law Enforcement Division, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and many, many other law enforcement personnel joined in the active pursuit of a frightening, remorseless killer.

They worked around the clock pursuing leads and tips, running license plate checks, conducting traffic checkpoints and patrolling every square inch of Cherokee County.

If you drove a Ford Explorer or a similar vehicle, chances are good that you met one or more of these officers. We hope you didn't mind the minor delay while police ruled out legitimate vehicles.

Many officers worked overtime, some even volunteered their own time.

When Sheriff Bill Blanton stepped behind a podium to announce the man they believed to be the serial killer — Patrick Tracy Burris — had been shot and killed by officers in neighboring Gaston County, N.C., standing behind him were some of the law enforcement personnel who had been actively involved in the case.

And there was a bunch of them.

Blanton said the number of people we saw behind him that night when Cherokee County breathed a collective sigh of relief at news the person officials believed to be the killer had been eradicated represented "not even an eighth" of the total number of law enforcement agents involved in the search.

For the past several days, you couldn't drive very far without seeing a patrol car. There seemed to be one on every street corner, at every county intersection.

Blanton himself, in advising stranded motorists to not go knock on someone's door but instead to call an officer, said "there should be one close by."

Indeed. They were everywhere.

And their presence was comforting.

While Sheriff Blanton urged us to be cautious, and while many of us armed ourselves and took extra precautions, the fact that armed guardians of the law, the men and women who stood up for our protection and against the monster who had claimed five innocent victims, gave us reason to be proud, to have assurance, to keep hope that this person would soon be dealt with one way or another.

We would like to say thank you to every patrol officer, every detective, every SLED and FBI agent, every forensic expert, every evidence lab technician, every person who answered telephones or in any way was involved in this investigation. We are so very proud of you and so very grateful for the time and effort you dedicated to bring back our peace of mind and the serenity of our community.

Sheriff Blanton said he hoped to soon meet and shake the hands of the Gaston County, N.C., officers who confronted Burris and brought this nightmare to an end.

We too, as a grateful community, also would like to extend our hands to those brave officers.

God bless you and everyone who helped during the dark days that descended on us.

We were — and are — in good hands and you can rest assured we will never forget your tireless efforts.