Roll of Honor
Incident
Reserve Deputy Charley Coen was killed in a single-vehicle crash shortly after midnight while responding to backup a police officer in Laverne.
He was traveling on Highway 64, about two miles west of Buffalo, when his Dodge Charger patrol car left the roadway on a curve and struck several large hay bales. The hay bales covered the patrol car, trapping him inside. He was able to radio dispatchers and inform them he was trapped before the heat from the vehicle ignited the hay bales and caused the vehicle to fill with smoke. Deputy Coen was overcome by smoke inhalation before rescue units arrived at the scene.
Deputy Coen had served in law enforcement for two years. In addition to being a reserve deputy, he also served as a full time police officer with the Laverne Police Department.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-835E6506- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Reserve Deputy Sheriff Coen gave the Harper County Sheriff's Office 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Buffalo community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Reserve Deputy Sheriff Coen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Reserve Deputy Sheriff William Charles Coen 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. William Charles Coen's cause is highlighted.
How William Charles Coen Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Charles Coen is highlighted in Jun.