A special tribute to some Tulsa heroes

The first phase of a memorial for Tulsa's fallen police officers was dedicated Friday afternoon. It's a project nearly 10 years in the making. <br/><br/>News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson gives

Friday, March 4th 2005, 6:30 am

By: News On 6

The first phase of a memorial for Tulsa's fallen police officers was dedicated Friday afternoon. It's a project nearly 10 years in the making.

News on 6 anchor Scott Thompson gives us a look at the memorial.

The Tulsa memorial honoring fallen officers is one-of-a-kind and one of the largest in the country. Only the "National" Police Memorial in Washington DC is larger.

Tulsa's memorial is at the Police Training Center in north Tulsa. Itâ€™s dedicated to the 39 Tulsa Police officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. It's only partially completed. When the memorial is finished, it'll feature a "Wall of Memory" with the names of each of the 39 fallen officers and a "Walk of Honor" where visitors can learn more about the officers.

At the center is a larger than life bronze statue of a Tulsa Police officer handing a folded flag to the child of a fallen officer. Local artist Jay O'Meilia designed the sculpture. "It's pretty personal, you know, you get into it. But when you have the honor, which to me is a heck of an honor, you, as they say, shoot your wad, you know, give 110 percent, you know, and hope they like it, and I think they do."

The entire memorial was privately funded. Much more of the memorial should be completed by the department's annual Memorial Service in May.