TULSA, Okla. — Gone but never forgotten. Sergeant Craig Johnson — the Tulsa police officer fatally shot during a traffic stop on June 29 will be added to a memorial which sits at the entrance of the Tulsa Police Academy.
Pat Briscoe is the man who will engrave Sgt. Johnson’s name next to the names of 39 other fallen Tulsa officers.
READ MORE: Officer Remembered: The life of Sgt. Craig Johnson
“The first one was 1917, the last one was 1996,” Briscoe said.
He carved each name into a unique piece of rock.
As Briscoe looked over them July 5, he thought, “Beautiful, all of them are. It’s a pretty emotional place.”
The Tulsa Police Department Oath of Office is at the memorial’s center. The last line reads, “I will protect the Right, Lives, and Property of all citizens and uphold the honor of the Police Profession, with my life, if need be.”
Briscoe said, “I hoped and prayed there’d never be a day I'd have to come back and put another name on one of these benches because there are 12 benches out here that don’t have names. Unfortunately, we’re here today talking about it.”
Sgt. Johnson’s podium is marked with a black band until the plaque comes in. Then, Briscoe will carve his name into the bench, just as he did the others.
“It’s something my stamp will be on ‘till I’m gone,” Briscoe said. “Quite an honor. It’s an honor for me to do it. Just to come back out here and see them gives me goosebumps, every time.”
Sgt. Johnson will be the 40th officer honored by the memorial.
To learn more about the Tulsa Police Officers' Memorial, click here.
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