Type of Officer: Police Detective
Jurisdiction: Derby Police Department
County: Sedgwick
Death Date: May 9, 1976
Added to Memorial: 2025
Circumstances of Death: Traffic Accident
Charles Delbert Meeks, age 34, served as police officer for one year before becoming a lab investigator in 1974 with the Derby Police Department. During the late evening hours on May 5, 1976, Detective Meeks was driving to a law enforcement training activity in Liberal Kansas to represent the Derby Police Department at a firearm shooting competition. Shortly after 9pm, in a blinding rainstorm two miles east of Bucklin on US 54 Highway, Detective Meeks’ westbound vehicle collided head on with an eastbound vehicle that had crossed the center line. Severely injured, Detective Meeks succumbed to his injuries four days later, on May 9, 1976. Detective Meeks is survived by his wife and son.
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