Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Michael Okelberry and Police Officer Thomas Burchfield were killed when their patrol car was struck head-on by a pickup truck traveling in the wrong direction in the 800 block of Woodall Rogers Freeway.
Officer Okelberry a U.S. Air Force Security Forces veteran and had served with the Dallas Police Department for one year.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-636869CE- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Okelberry gave the Dallas Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Dallas community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Michael Ross Okelberry served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Michael Ross Okelberry is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Dallas Police Department, 30 of 95 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Michael Ross Okelberry's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Ross Okelberry Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Ross Okelberry is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
94 officers from Dallas Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
