8 Oklahoma Officers Names Will Be Added To National Law Enforcement Memorial

The names of eight Oklahoma officers who died in the line of duty are being added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial this year.

A widow of a Tulsa Police Officer and co-worker of a Tulsa County Sergeant are opening up for the first time since their passing. They explained the significance of their trip to National Police Week in May.

Loved ones of the fallen said their loss is devastating but they aren't the first to go through this and won't be the last. They said their healing journey extends far beyond DC.

Who's the first person you call when times get tough? Ask just about anyone at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office and they'll tell you it was Sergeant John Harris.

"John went out of his way to make sure that we had like a place to start if we ever did have to endure a line of duty death. And no one in a million years thought that it would be John that would be that line of duty death for this agency. So, I think that's what makes it twice as hard, is the one person that we all knew we would look to if this ever happened to us, is, unfortunately, the person that we're mourning," said Det. Kimber Take, TCSO.

Harris was Detective Kimber Take's patrol supervisor for many years.

"It was like having an extra dad," said Det. Take.

Together, she and Harris helped launch the Officer Assistance Program.

"John was one of those very bull-headed people that when he got his mindset to a thing, we were doing that thing. And we were going to make that thing the greatest thing that it has ever been, and that's exactly what he did with our peer team. He built trust in a community that didn't have it for the type of service that we give," said Det. Take. "Nothing I would say would be able to do him, his career or who he was as a person justice."

Take said sometimes she still calls Harris out of instinct just to ask him advice.

"It's that harsh reality that that's not there now, so you really just kind of take it day to day and hope that whenever someone does come to you, that you can give them everything that John would've given them if he were the person standing in front of them," said Det. Take.

Harris joined the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office in 2009 and died from contracting COVID while working in August of 2021. He's one of eight Oklahoma officers whose name is being added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, DC in May.

It's the one trip Take said no one ever wants to plan for.

"A lot of people have been fortunate enough to never have to know that it exists. It's almost like an exclusive club you don't want to be a part of," said Det. Take.

Take said if roles were reversed, Harris would do everything he could to get these families to DC.

"Everything. If it had to come out of his own pocket, he would make it happen," said Take.

Take said this is an opportunity for folks to step up and help someone in need.

"I would probably tell everyone that this is the worst-case scenario for every family that has a first responder that goes to work every day. This is the phone call you don't want. This is the conversation you don't want to have to have with your children. And now this is your one big opportunity to go and honor that person that gave up everything for not just you and your family, but the community that they serve," said Det. Take.

Fallen Tulsa Officer Jared Lindsey worked with the FOP for years. He and his wife Jennifer would go to National Police Week every year.

"To have him on the wall is, I want to say, it provides a little bit of closure for us. It's like a full circle but it's also a chance to meet other women that are going through the same thing; other men that are going through the same thing," said Jennifer.

Jennifer said families here feel alone. She said the trip is one of those transformations where suddenly you realize you're not alone anymore.

"It's a very, very important rite of passage for families like mine," said Jennifer. "My boys have something to be very proud of and going to DC and seeing his name on the wall just, you know, confirms that for them."

Jennifer said her husband's legacy is one of selflessness and generosity.

"He was a police officer in a very difficult time to be a police officer. He went through the layoffs in Tulsa when he had first got started and that kind of propelled him into the FOP and fighting for police officers' rights in general," said Jennifer.

Jennifer said Jared was part of a podcast. In his last episode before passing in 2020, he interviewed children of fallen officers.

"In speaking with these children and listening to it, this is their pivotal point. This is the point where everything turns around. This is where they meet everyone else that has been through what they've been through. This is where they meet their support system for the rest of their lives. And it really did, I mean, they thought the world was falling down around them and then they go here, and they meet all these other children, and they have friends that they're gonna talk to for the rest of their lives. There are children that have gotten married later in life. There are children that have joined other police departments because of connections they've made. It's a lifetime of support," said Jennifer.

'Concerns of Police Survivors' otherwise known as "COPS" pays for the family's hotel rooms, but the Oklahoma FOP Auxiliary is raising additional funds for extra hotel rooms, airfare, and food.

"It's just, it's never gonna stop. It's not gonna stop, and it's sad but at the same time, that's why we have these programs, and we need to support them, and we need to keep supporting them," said Jennifer.

Click here to donate for the families.

Related Story: State FOP Auxiliary Raising Money To Send Families To DC For National Police Week