The names of twenty-four law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in Oklahoma were recently engraved on the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial in Oklahoma City.
Their names will be dedicated during the 52nd Annual Oklahoma Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Service, which was scheduled for the morning of Friday, May 8, 2020, but has been postponed until later in the year.
The Oklahoma Law Enforcement Memorial is the oldest state memorial honoring its fallen officers in the United States and was dedicated May 15, 1969. The non-profit memorial organization is totally funded by donations. Over forty per cent of all of the Deputy U.S. Marshals who have died in the line of duty in the United States died in what is now the state of Oklahoma and are honored on the memorial.
Three of the officers recently added died last year and two died earlier this year. The other nineteen officers are from previous years and had not been added in the past as the memorial was still researching their circumstances to confirm their death as a line of duty death. Earlier year line of duty deaths are added as the memorial learns of them or as the memorial confirms they died in the line of duty. Several others are still pending and may be added in future years.
The memorial is located on the west grounds of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety Headquarters, 3600 M. L. King Avenue in Oklahoma City.
The twenty-four fallen officers being added are:
Joseph Lanier, Sheriff, Scullyville (Le Flore) County, Choctaw Nation, I.T. died September 23, 1881;
John M. Cross, Sheriff, Stevens County, Kansas, died July 25, 1888;
Cyrus W. Eaton, Deputy Sheriff, Stevens County, Kansas, died July 25, 1888;
Robert Hubbard, Deputy Sheriff, Stevens County, Kansas, died July 25, 1888;
Rolland T. Wilcox, Deputy Sheriff, Stevens County, Kansas, died July 25, 1888;
Rumsey Smith, Officer, Choctaw Nation Lighthorse died in March 1896;
J.H. Siler, Deputy Sheriff, Pawnee County, died May 21, 1899;
Wade J. T. Crank, City Marshal, Tecumseh, died August 1, 1899;
Tennessee, Deputy City Marshal, Oktaha, died March 25, 1905;
Ralph Chapman, Special Deputy, Okmulgee Police Department, died November 15, 1908;
William J. Marshall, Guard, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, died June 16, 1911;
R.L. Cares, Deputy Sheriff, Choctaw County, died July 5, 1912;
James D. Coffee, Deputy Sheriff, Wilbarger County, Texas, died February 16, 1918;
James M. Williams, Former Sheriff, Johnson County, died August 3, 1921;
Willis Sheppard, Deputy Sheriff, Washington County, died May 20, 1922;
James D. Tittle, Agent, Federal Prohibition Enforcement, IRS, died September 22, 1922;
William H. Johnston, Detective, Bristow Police Department, died September 20, 1924;
Michael L. Loudenslager, Reserve Deputy Sheriff, Oklahoma County, died April 19, 1995;
David M. Robbins, Patrolman, Idabel Police Department, died June 28, 2011;
Monty T. Johnson, Undersheriff, Pawnee County, died February 21, 2019;
Brian K. Crain, Sergeant, Jenks Police Department, died February 22, 2019;
Lucky C. Miller, Chief, Mannford Po9lice Department, died November 10, 2019;
Jarid D. Taylor, Deputy Sheriff, Bryan County, died January 14, 2020;
Shirley J. Lanning, Lieutenant, Canadian County, died February 14, 2020.
