Father honored with new station Published Sept. 9, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Jeremy Keith vaguely remembers his father's funeral procession on that January afternoon in 1965. To this day he still doesn't like to hear Taps being played. Even though he was only 3 years old when his father, William Keith, died on duty as a Del City police officer, the emotions surrounding his father's death are still reality. Mr. Keith, a KC-135 boom mechanic in the 551st Commodities Maintenance Squadron, didn't get much time with his father who died at age 27 -- the only Del City police officer to lose his life in the line of duty. His father's death resulted from a car chase that saw the patrol car strike a telephone pole. The vehicle's steering wheel locked up, Mr. Keith explains. His father had been a police officer for 27 days. Mr. Keith has an idea of what his dad was like. He died doing what he believed in. "He cared about his family and serving the public," says Mr. Keith. "He always envisioned himself being a police officer, even from a young age." Now, some 45 years after the accident that changed Mr. Keith's life, the memory of his father is getting fresh recognition. This week, the Del City Police Department broke ground on what will be the William Haskell Keith Memorial Police Building. It will be the new department building, bearing the name of one of Del City's finest. Mr. Keith was approached by Del City Police Chief Phil Taylor about a year ago to ask his blessing for the name. Mr. Keith enthusiastically gave his support. "It's an honor to keep his name and the memory of him alive for the next generation," Mr. Keith says. "It's a way to remember what my dad sacrificed." The new police station will be built at 4517 Southeast 29th Street beside the city hall -- a definite expansion over the current building constructed in 1948. A memorial stands outside the current Del City Police Station, in honor of the officer Mr. Keith's death. But the new building will be a further testimony to his devotion on the job. "He sacrificed for what he believed in," Mr. Keith says of his dad, a lifelong Del City resident. "He always wanted to be a police officer and serve the community." Losing a father at a young age is something Mr. Keith wouldn't wish on anyone. "It's sad because he left three kids. We wished we'd had him around a lot longer," Mr. Keith says. His sister Kim was 7 and his younger brother Shawn was 13 months old when their father died. Since a young age, Mr. Keith has always talked to police officers he sees on duty, who represent a constant reminder of his father. He tells the officers about his dad, how he died. For Mr. Keith, It's a way to keep his father's memory alive. "I tell them my dad was a Del City police officer and gave his life for the community," Mr. Keith says. This week tilled up memories for Mr. Keith, as he relived a host of trying experiences. But with the dedication of the new police station, he's confident his father's memory will be even more vivid in the years to come. "This is in honor of him so that keeps him alive in our hearts," Mr. Keith says.