Arlington County Overpass to Become Memorial for Slain Virginia State Police Trooper

Virginia lawmakers, Arlington County officials, state and local law enforcement, the Virginia Department of Transportation, family and friends will gather Wednesday in Arlington County to dedicate an Interstate 395 overpass to the memory of slain Virginia State Police Trooper Jacqueline Vernon, the VSP announced Monday.

Through the efforts of the Arlington County Board and the Virginia General Assembly, the Interstate 395 bridge over South Glebe Road has been designated the Trooper Jacqueline Vernon Memorial Bridge.

On Aug. 16, 1988, Trooper Vernon, 32, had stopped a vehicle for a High Occupancy Lane violation along northbound I-395, when she was struck and killed by a commuter bus, VSP said. The tragic incident occurred between the Shirlington and Glebe Road exits. Trooper Vernon was the Department’s 42nd line of duty death, but the first female and first black Virginia State Police trooper to be killed on duty.

She is survived today by a sister, two brothers and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. A West Virginia native, Trooper Vernon joined the Virginia State Police in January 1984. Upon her graduation from the Academy in Richmond, her first patrol assignment was in Northern Virginia where she remained for the next four years of her state police career.

Prior to joining the state police, she had also served her country in the U.S. Army.

The dedication ceremony Wednesday will take place at 11 a.m. in the Arlington County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 307.