Sheriff 's office honors fallen deputies
All who wear the badge have given some, but some gave all.
That was the message Friday afternoon at the Oklahoma County sheriff' s office headquarters, where officials unveiled a memorial wall that honors the lives of nine deputies and one K-9 officer who died in the line of duty since 1890.
“This day has been a long time coming ,” Sheriff P. D. Taylor said. “We're so proud we were able to do this.”
Sheriff's office historian Sgt. Bradley Wynn said he spent years combing through old newspapers, books and
historical documents in an attempt to piece together the details of the line-of-duty deaths.
Eight of the 10 honored on the wall died before 1936, he said, some in more colorful fashion than others.
“Probably the most interesting story is that of George Washington Garrison, a sheriff who was killed in the line of duty in 1908 during a 45-minute gun battle,” Wynn said.
The first death occurred in 1890, when Deputy Sheriff Pete Anderson was shot and killed by gang members while on his way to arrest a man wanted for cattle theft.
Most recently, i n 2014,
Deputy Terry Fisher suffered a heart attack and died while on duty.
The ni ne men and K- 9 displayed on the wall served with pride and should be remembered for their bravery, said sheriff's office Chaplain Doug McLerran.
“You don't think about what could happen,” he said. “You just go out there and do your job, and you love it. We do this job because we love it.”
The memorial wallis in a hallway outside personnel offices, where dozens of employees walk through daily.
Taylor said he hopes to one day move the memorial to a more public location, where citizens can walk by and read about the fallen deputies.
McLerran said he hopes the list does not change.
“Hopefully we will never put another picture on this wall,” he said.