Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Richard Oliver was killed during a vehicle pursuit. He and a reserve officer applicant were patrolling the streets of Canute. Witnessing a motorist run a stop sign, they started a pursuit. About three miles south of Canute, the suspect turned his truck around and headed northbound back toward the officers. Just as the vehicles met at the top of a hill, the suspect's truck was left of center and hit the chief’s patrol car head on. Chief Oliver and the reserve officer applicant were both killed instantly. The suspect was transported to the McBride Bone and Joint Hospital in Oklahoma City with two fractures to the right leg and facial lacerations. The man was convicted of two counts of first degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Chief Oliver was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War and had just been appointed as chief the previous month. He was a widower and survived by his 9-year-old daughter, parents, and two siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-F26C424B- 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.
Chief of Police Oliver served with the Canute Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Canute 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
Richard Edgar Oliver served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Chief of Police Richard Edgar Oliver 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 7.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Edgar Oliver's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Edgar Oliver Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 10 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Edgar Oliver is highlighted in Jul.