Eleven law enforcement officers and one K-9 partner were remembered today during the annual Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial. They died in the line of duty.The memorial is the oldest memorial honoring fallen officers. Law enforcement officers from across the state gathered for the dedication of officers killed in the line of duty. The 11 officers and K-9 who made the ultimate sacrifice were added to the memorial. “Here today to honor and celebrate their faithful service by remembering their dedication still on watch,” Gov. Kevin Stitt said. The names were read as family members placed roses on the memorial. Among them were David Wade, a Logan County deputy killed in 2017 while serving a warrant; Shirley Lanning, a Canadian County deputy killed in a head-on crash in February 2020; and Tulsa police officer Craig Johnson, who was killed during a June 2020 traffic stop. “It means a lot because sometimes you know you kind of feel forgotten about things but we ve never felt t
By News Director Jared Atha
After over a hundred years since his passing, a former Washita County Sheriff’s Deputy will have his name added to an Oklahoma memorial.
In fact, the names of 11 law enforcement officers and one canine partner who died in the line of duty in Oklahoma will be dedicated on the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial.
The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial is the oldest state memorial honoring fallen officers in the United States and was dedicated May 15, 1969.
Among the 11 will be Jesse Whitfield Morris, a former Washita County Deputy Sheriff.
Morris died on February 3, 1910 from complications from a gunshot wound to his lungs on December 8, 1900 while attempting to arrest three men who were causing a disturbance. In fact, the disturbance would take place in Mountain View – in neighboring Kiowa County.