Bridgeport Officer Killed In Line of Duty Laid to Rest
By SUSY SOLIS
Updated 6:00 PM CST, Tue, Apr 7, 2009
Law enforcement officers from all over North Texas attended funeral services for a Bridgeport officer who was killed last week in the line of duty.
Sgt. Randy White, 32, was killed when a vehicle fleeing Wise County sheriff's deputies rammed into his patrol car on Thursday.
Uniformed officers, friends and family filled First Baptist Church in Decatur on Tuesday.
Assistant Chief Steve Stanford joked about how much White loved Oklahoma University, even though he lived in North Texas, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
"I'd like to say he was a perfect individual, but I can't. He loved the Sooners," Standford said.
The church erupted in laughter, and all 16 Bridgeport police officers then donned OU caps in honor of White.
Standford said he wanted to keep his speech about White lighthearted, because that's the way White would have wanted it.
But he did get serious when he addressed White's daughter, Jayden, 5, and told her that her father loved her very much. Many normally stoic law enforcement officers wiped tears from their eyes.
A long procession of police motorcycles, cop cars and friends and family made their way to the burial site in Weatherford.
White was honored with a 21-gun salute before he was laid to rest.
The Bridgeport Police Department will posthumously award White a Medal of Honor, which is given for bravery and valor.
Instead of retiring White's badge number, 804, the department has decided to reassign it to his wife, Janet, so she'll always be part of the family, Stanford said.
First Published: Apr 7, 2009 5:17 PM CST
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