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Funeral Held For Raleigh Police Officer

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KNIGHTDALE, N.C. — Law enforcement from across the state came to the Capital City Friday to pay their respects to a Raleigh police officer who died Tuesday after his motorcycle crashed on the beltline.

The family of Officer C.R. Paul III arrived at Knightdale's Bethlehem Baptist Church flanked in a sea of blue. Hundreds of officers came out to pay their respects, including dozens of motorcycle officers.

"We are pretty tight, so we are going to come from all corners of the state and other states if necessary," said Officer Brian Sprinkle, of the Charlotte Police Department.

Members of Rolling Thunder rode in to show their support for Paul, who also rode a motorcycle outside of work.

The church was full of family, friends and co-workers.

Raleigh police chief Jane Perlov said Paul was a great police officer.

"He had many outstanding qualities as a Raleigh police officer, but he excelled at what our officers do every single day; he loved helping people and making things better," Perlov said.

Perlov called Paul a hero, and comforted his wife and young daughter.

"Tiffany, Charli, please look around the church and know that we are all your family and we will be with you not only today, not only tomorrow, but forever," she said.

After the service, a mile-long procession of law enforcement vehicles rode from the church on Poole Road, along the outer beltline and to the Raleigh Memorial Park on Glenwood Avenue where Paul was laid to rest.

Fellow law enforcement officers from across the state also honored the memory of Paul Thursday evening.

People who knew him say the department will not be the same without him.

"It's a great loss. We have to move on. Charlie would have wanted us to move on, we would want us to carry on and do what we're supposed to do," friend M.V. Jarmon said.

Paul was killed Tuesday, when he lost control of his motorcycle while in pursuit of a speeding car on the Raleigh beltline.

Police said the officer was traveling 85 miles per hour when his front wheel began to wobble. They said the wobble might have been caused by the draft created by a passing tractor-trailer.

The motorcycle Paul was riding, a Harley-Davidson, has been investigated for stability problems.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looked into the wobble effect similar to what is believed to have caused Paul's wreck. A two-year study concluded that the Harley-Davidson does not have a design flaw; however, some members of the North Carolina Highway Patrol said they have noticed a similar problem with the motorcycles.

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