Orlando Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Thursday, May 18, 2000
Age: 30
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: 544
Cause of Death: Automobile crash
Date of Incident: May 18, 2000
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Tanja King was killed when her cruiser struck a light pole while she was responding to an emergency assistance call.
The collision caused the concrete light pole to fall on top of the cruiser, and trapped Officer King inside. Emergency crews were able to extricate her and she was flown to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Officer King was a member of the same unit as Officer George DeSalvia, murdered three months earlier while on duty.
Officer King had been in law enforcement for four years, and had been with the Orlando Police Department for two years. She is survived by her parents, sister, and three brothers.
Officer King has been memorialized in Orlando, Florida, with a park named Tanja King Memorial Park and also with a street named after her called Tanja King Boulevard.