Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Otis V. Love and Patrolman Bobby Ray Watson were killed when their patrol car was struck by another car when they made a U-turn at 5:30 a.m. As Patrolman Watson was making the U-turn on Arkansas 35 north of Sheridan, the other car struck the patrol car. Both officers were killed instantly. The 25-year-old driver of the other car was critically injured. He had a BAC of .06 and was not legally drunk. Sergeant Love was a United States Vietnam War veteran serving with the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force and had served with the Sheridan Police Department for 8 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, four sons, and seven grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-AR-C9A15225- 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.
Sergeant Love gave the Sheridan Police Department 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Sheridan community, and 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
Otis Vernon Love, Jr. served in the Marine Corps (1980â1984) before joining law enforcement.
Sergeant Otis Vernon Love, Jr. 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 AR, 92 of 372 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.7% of this state's fallen. That is 6.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Sheridan Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Otis Vernon Love, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Otis Vernon Love, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Otis Vernon Love, Jr. is highlighted in Feb.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Sheridan Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
