Osage Beach to honor fallen police officer with bridge dedication ceremony Friday
Alison Patton
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. (KMIZ)
Osage Beach Officer Phylicia Carson died during a police chase in August 2024, and over a year later, the city is holding a bridge dedication ceremony in her honor.
The Officer Phylicia Carson Memorial Bridge on Highway 54 runs over the Grand Glaize Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. The Missouri General Assembly voted to name the span in her honor.
The dedication ceremony will take place at Osage Beach City Hall at 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to a city press release. Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to speak alongside Mayor Michael Harmison and state Rep. Jeff Vernetti (R-Camdenton).
Vernetti said a sign has already been posted on either side of the highway letting people know who the bridge is dedicated to.
Carson’s family was at the ceremony on Friday, and they got a replica of the sign and also cut a ribbon. Her husband, Grant Carson, did not want to do an interview.
“This bridge stands as a testament to Officer Carson’s bravery and the profound impact she had on our city,” Harmison says in the release. “We are honored to have Governor Kehoe and Representative Vernetti join us as we ensure her memory is etched into the history of Osage Beach forever.”
Kehoe told ABC 17 News after the ceremony that the state has been trying to help out the Carsons.
“We want to make sure as many of those organizations can help that family out, really honor the mother and help get these kids to a life where they can be productive in our society,” Kehoe said. “It’s what we should do as a state in the country is to help these families out.”
Vernetti said the bridge is a way to always honor Carson.
“I wanted to honor her service or sacrifice,” he said. “It’s always a tragic thing to lose someone in the line of duty but trying to think of the best possible way that we can honor her.”
Carson was chasing a suspect when her patrol car skidded off the road and hit a tree. The car caught on fire, and Carson was later pronounced dead at the scene.