back to press releases

Sen. Brooks wins committee approval for bill honoring fallen OKC PD officer

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sen. Michael Brooks, D-Oklahoma City, has received committee approval for legislation honoring Sgt. Meagan Burke, an Oklahoma City police officer killed in an on-duty, head-on crash with an impaired driver on I-44 on Sept. 29, 2022. Senate Bill 1584, naming a bridge in Burke’s memory, was approved by the Senate Aeronautics and Transportation Committee on Tuesday. 

“Sergeant Burke had served her fellow citizens for over six years and was only 31 when she died in the line of duty. It was a terrible loss for her family, her fellow officers, and our entire community,” Brooks said. “It is truly an honor to help pay tribute to her life and service by naming a bridge for her.”

When presenting his legislation, Brooks shared a statement from Burke’s sister, Kelly, with the committee members. 

“For the rest of our lives, we will carry her name and legacy with us. But we also want to share that name and legacy with as many people as possible, which brings us to today. We want to honor her name and her contributions to this community with a memorial bridge,” Burke said. “This dedication is for all people, current and future, to understand what it means to love a place and a community and give it all you have in an effort to leave it better than you found it. Oklahoma captured Meagan’s heart. It is the place she called home, it’s where she built her life, made her friends, and found her calling. It is only right that we honor her by memorializing her contributions here, in this way. Please help us do that.”

SB 1584 will next be considered by the full Senate. To view Brooks’ presentation of the legislation and the family’s statement, go to https://oksenate.gov/live-chamber, select Calendar-Day/Month for Feb. 27, and select Aeronautics and Transportation. The bill presentation begins at 11:01:37.

-END-

 

For more information, contact:  
Sen. Michael Brooks: (405) 521-5557 or Michael.Brooks@oksenate.gov