TULSA, Okla. — It’s National Police Week, and agencies around the country are honoring fallen officers.
The Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the local Fraternal Order of Police, and loved ones remembered their own on May 16.
Every time a TCSO deputy dies in the line of duty, a tree is planted for them in Chandler Park. Their name is also added to the wall of the fallen officer’s memorial in Washington, D.C.
“We just honor the officers that have worked for us over the years and given the ultimate sacrifice, meaning they laid their life on the line to protect others,” Sgt. LaMont Hill, president of FOP Lodge 188, told 2 News.
13 members of TCSO have died in the line of duty since 1909.
The most recent was Sgt. John Harris, who contracted Covid-19 while on the job and died Aug. 19, 2021. He was 43 years old.
“I mean, it’s [the ceremony] somber, obviously—you know—because we’re talking about people who are no longer with us," Hill noted. "But we still get to celebrate the good that they’ve done, like I said, by making that ultimate sacrifice for others."
Harris' widow, Michelle Harris, told 2 News after Thursday's ceremony that being there with other fallen officers' loved ones is vital because “nobody gets what we’ve been through."
"Being able to come together and lean on each other is very crucial for our healing, and I’ve made so many friends and my children have made friends as well,” she said. “It’s important for surviving families to be able to lean on each other for that.”
National Police Week is when law enforcement are recognized for their service.
While there have been heated discussions about police in recent years, TCSO wants the public to know that—despite the rhetoric—they are committed to keeping them safe.
“It [National Police Week] is big right now because sometimes law enforcement doesn’t have the— we don’t have the brightest light on us in certain situations," said Hill. "And we want people to understand that, despite what you hear on TV or read on the internet or Facebook, we are still here to help—a vast majority of us are here to help.”
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