Facebook Twitter K1-TEXT Email Print

News

Local News

Posted: Jul 09, 2020 5:24 PMUpdated: Jul 09, 2020 9:58 PM

Thousands Stand with Tulsa Police, Honor Sgt. Johnson

Share on RSS

 

Garrett Giles

The Bartlesville Police Department like many agencies across the State of Oklahoma headed to Tulsa on Thursday to pay respects to a Tulsa police officer that lost his life during a routine traffic stop over a week ago.

The audio feature for this story can be found here.

Joining the BPD was the Washington County Sheriff's Office, the Dewey Fire Department, the Dewey Police Department, Washington County Emergency Management, the Copan Fire Department, and the local division of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Local agencies left Bartlesville from the Bartlesville Police Station around 9:40 on a rainy Thursday morning. They arrived at Victory Christian Church just after 11:00 a.m.

 

45-year-old Sgt. Craig Vincent Johnson with the Tulsa Police Department was shot and killed on Tuesday, June 30th, and rookie Officer Aurash Zarkeshan is recovering in a Tulsa hospital after being critically shot four times. A funeral service was held for Sgt. Johnson at 1:00 p.m. at Victory Christian Church, which sits across from the campus of Oral Roberts University.
 
 
 
Wendell Franklin, Tulsa's Chief of Police, said he always carries some symbol of his faith on his uniform. For the past several years, Chief Franklin has been carrying a laminated card on his person with Romans 8:38-39 transcribed on it, which reads: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
 
You can take a body away, but you cannot take a spirit; you can alter a man's life, but you cannot take away hope. Chief Franklin said Sgt. Johnson is gone from this earth, but his spirit lives on in each of us, and his soul rests with our heavenly Father. He said Officer Zarkeshan remains with us; he is Tulsa's hope.
 
 
 
Sgt. Johnson's final action was giving selflessly. Chief Franklin said Sgt. Johnson's family allowed him to do one last great thing for humanity as if he hadn't already done enough. He said action is defined as a fact or a process of doing something, typically to achieve. That noun is key to everything.

You can study, you can imagine, you can rehearse, you can plan, but if there is no action, it is pointless. Chief Franklin said the men and women of law enforcement are the action to every piece of legislative paperwork that is passed. He said it is just like the words of the Declaration of Independence having no meaning until a courier delivered that message and the Colonists armed themselves. So it is with every law that is written in the books.
 
If a nation had no army, where would it be? Likewise, if a city had no enforcers of the law, where would it be? How many jobs in America require one to swear their life away?
 
Chief Franklin said everyone sleeps soundly at night because of men like Sgt. Johnson and Officer Zarkeshan. He said everyone sleeps soundly because of all of the officers and dispatchers standing behind them and with them as well.
 
 
 
A host of men and women are standing on the front lines to protect us. Chief Franklin said he is now hearing the nation's cries; "Police have too much power. Police are too well funded. Police are the problem." He said officers would rather sit all day and do nothing, collect a salary, and go home to their family than wield power; than lift a finger.
 
Chief Franklin said he wishes the police had one job, but someone decided to put mental health on the backs of the police, and parents decided to let the police be the bad guy that tells their child "no." He said society decided to be over reliant on social media and in feelings instead of fact.
 
Everyone has decided what is right for police. Chief Franklin said they have to smile, say "hello," make everyone feel wanted, show empathy, always drive the speed limit, always wear face coverings, talk to the media, dance on TikTok, and take pictures to show how well they're doing. All the while, Chief Franklin said they have to quickly interpret a law based on someone's action. He said they have to apply the law, and do it exact and correctly, while reporting the interaction so they can be sued and publicly scrutinized later.
 
Elaborating further, Chief Franklin said they now have to make their use of force look acceptable in the eyes of 328 million people. He said they have to make sure they are always correct, and read a strangers mind and know that they mean no harm. If they do mean harm, Chief Franklin said they now have to aim and shoot them in the limb as they move about. He said they then have to immediately shift to a medical mindset and deliver impeccable first aid to a person that just tried to kill them.
 
It didn't end there. Chief Franklin said they have to drive a vehicle letting everyone know who they are, talk on the radio, listen to the radio while watching a computer screen, while maintaining awareness of direction, and while maintaining their current location. He said they have to know how to get to a 911 call while paying close attention to the national news because 690,000 other officers across 12,000 police departments can determine how their day goes.
 
Who would want such a job? Chief Franklin said he didn't know about the thousands of officers in attendance, but he was ready to go to work. He said we should never forget Sgt. Johnson's sacrifice to the cause of law enforcement; he prayed that Sgt. Johnson's silly quirks, stories and persona remain engrained in our hearts and carried forth from now until the coming of our Lord and Savior.
 
 
 
In life, Sgt. Johnson resided in Broken Arrow with his wife and their two boys. He was a member of Christview Christian Church. He enjoyed reading books, watching movies, and fixing things, including cars. He quoted movies to fit every situation, and he loved Star Wars.
 
Not only that, Sgt. Johnson was able to achieve many things through his 15 years of service as a Tulsa Police Officer, including becoming a training officer and sergeant, and being instrumental in changing law on copper theft. Prior to Sgt. Johnson’s passing, he was awarded the Tulsa Police Department Purple Heart.

Tulsa Police Lieutenant Pat Parker, who was Sgt. Johnson's supervisor for the Copper Task Force of Tulsa, said Sgt. Johnson had a big heart and that he loved helping new officers learn the ropes so they could become first class Tulsa police officers. Lt. Parker and Sgt. Johnson worked together in the Gilcrease Investigations Unit, and Lt. Parker said Sgt. Johnson was a tenacious investigator. No matter how busy Sgt. Johnson was, he put everything down to help other officers.
 
When it came to putting a huge dent in the number of copper thefts that occurred in the City of Tulsa, Sgt. Johnson was the head of the spear. Lt. Parker said Sgt. Johnson identified that the reporting of copper thefts was delayed by an issue that left the TPD unaware of some of the copper thefts that occurred for weeks. He said that Sgt. Johnson worked with other city employees to improve the reporting process, and as a result, the TPD's efforts to apprehend copper thieves greatly increased.
 
The copper theft issues took place for years in Tulsa, and it cost the city millions of dollars. Lt. Parker said it also put Tulsans at risk. He said once lit highways were dark late at night because of the copper thieves. Before Sgt. Johnson took up the issue, it was rare to see a city light on, but now, you would be hard pressed to see one off.
 
Copper theft may be a mundane crime to some, but Sgt. Johnson changed the lives of every Tulsan. Sgt. Johnson always looked to be better. Lt. Parker said Sgt. Johnson was instrumental in changing Oklahoma's law to help prevent copper theft in the state.
 
Sgt. Johnson worked with INCOG, and the Agricultural Department and their two investigators for the state. He taught chiefs of police, sheriffs, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. But still, Sgt. Johnson pushed this effort further, working with the Scrap Metal Dealers Association, educating their staff to know what to look for when taking in stolen copper wire. He created an email address and would send out alerts to scrap metal dealers on suspects to be aware of and look out for as they were known as "frequent fliers" when it came to stolen copper wire.
 
This collaborative effort contributed to a greater success of prosecuting copper thieves.  Sgt. Johnson received the Chief's Award for his hard work and dedication on the copper theft problem that was plaguing Oklahoma. Oklahoma State Legislators are planning to rename the copper theft law in Sgt. Johnson's honor in their next session.
 
Sgt. Johnson was also the lead on the Cox Communication batteries that were being stolen in the Tulsa area. Lt. Parker said this helped to keep the cable and internet services running in the city. He said Sgt. Johnson was also passionate about the END DUI Program. If he could clone Sgt. Johnson, Lt. Parker would, because he was the epitome of a great police officer and servant to Tulsa.

Also addressing the crowd with memories of Sgt. Johnson was Officer Suzanne Rofston. She shared stories from her experience with Sgt. Johnson in school to their time together with the Tulsa Police Department. She also shared stories shared with her by other officers that Sgt. Johnson impacted in life.
 
Sgt. Johnson loved spending time with his two sons. Family, friends and colleagues said Sgt. Johnson will be missed by all that knew and loved him. Sgt. Johnson was preceded in death by his grandparents, June and Retha Johnson, and George and Margie Mason. Survivors include his wife, Kristi; sons Connor and Clinton; parents, Clyde and Cheryl; numerous other relatives, friends and hundreds of his brothers and sisters with the Tulsa Police Department.
 
Pastor Scott Zimmerman officiated Sgt. Johnson's funeral. Pallbearers included Louis Sitek, Chris Nolan, Peter Hughes, Ken Simpson, Steve Theimer, and Bryan Bryden. The 1st Shift David Squad was the honorary pallbearer. Full honors were provided by the Tulsa Police Honor Guard and the Tulsa Police Pipes & Drums.
 
 

Following the funeral service, thousands of officers stood by, saluting the family and the fallen Sgt. Johnson. From there, a funeral procession took place, and it stretched approximately ten miles. The procession was full of emergency vehicles from all over the State of Oklahoma.
 
 
 
Many of Tulsa's finest took to the streets to "Back the Blue" and show their support to the family of Sgt. Johnson for the approximately nine miles from Victory Christian Church to the Floral Haven Memorial Garden where Sgt. Johnson was laid to rest.
 
 
 
Tulsa Police Sgt. Johnson's name is the 40th names that will be engraved on the memorial which sits at the entrance of the Tulsa Police Academy. On Wednesday, it was reported that $500,000 was raised for Sgt. Johnson and Officer Zarkeshan's families. The organs of Sgt. Johnson have also been donated and are believed to be the key to save countless lives.
 
Below are more images from Thursday's funeral processions and funeral service for Tulsa police Sgt. Craig Johnson.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

« Back to News