Type of Officer: Police Officer
Jurisdiction: Topeka
County: Shawnee
Death Date: 6/13/2000
Added to Memorial: 2001
Circumstances of Death: Helicopter Accident
On the night of June 13, 2000, Officer Jeff William Howey, a Topeka Police Department helicopter pilot, was killed when the helicopter he was riding in crashed while responding to a burglary call. Officer Howey and Officer Charles Joseph “Joey” Bohlender, Jr. were assisting ground units searching for a reported burglary at a southwest Topeka business. The officers were flying in a circular pattern around the business at an altitude of 1500 feet. As the officers were maneuvering a turn over an open elevated field west of the business, the helicopter went out of control for an unknown reason and crashed. The thirty-seven-year-old Officer Howey died as a result of the accident. He was an eight-year veteran of the Topeka Police Department. He joined the department in August 1992 and served in the uniform patrol division until transferring to the helicopter unit in October 1998. He received the department’s Commendation Bar in 1996. A U.S. Army veteran, Officer Howey served a combined seventeen years with the U.S. Army and U.S. Army National Guard. He is survived by his wife Nina and two daughters.
Panel: 39