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As law enforcement officers from throughout Oklahoma watched from the gallery, the Oklahoma Senate approved a resolution on Wednesday recognizing May as “Law Enforcement Appreciation Month” in the state.  Senator Darrell Weaver, a Republican of Moore, is the principal author of Senate Resolution 15.

Weaver, who spent three decades in law enforcement and served as director of the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, told fellow members about the dangers and risks law enforcement officers face on a daily basis. He thanked the men and women in blue for all that they do for the State of Oklahoma; he thanked them for protecting us all.

“There are about 13,000 Oklahomans who selflessly serve their fellow citizens as peace officers.  They’re husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, our next door neighbors and the people we go to church with on Sunday.  But unlike most of us, they face dangerous situations on a regular basis, and too many have made the ultimate sacrifice while upholding the law,” Weaver said.  “It’s only fitting for us to honor them in the Senate and throughout Oklahoma.”

Weaver noted that six Oklahoma law enforcement officers had died in the line of duty during 2020, including three from COVID-19.  Those included Capt. Billy Dewayne Allen, Sr., with the Fort Sill Police Department; Tulsa Police Officer Jerad Lindsey; Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Jeff Sewell; Sgt. Craig Vincent Johnson, Tulsa Police Department; Lt. Shirley Lanning, Canadian County Sheriff’s Office; and Bryan County Deputy Sheriff Jarid Taylor.