BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Kern County Sheriff Deputy Phillip Campas was memorialized for his bravery and sacrifice Friday with the unveiling of the KCSO Phillip Campas Memorial Interchange.
Campas was killed in the line of duty in July of 2021 at a standoff in Wasco.
The memorial interchange was made possible by Senator Shannon Grove, who introduced resolution SCR-75 to honor Campas with an interchange at highways 65 to 99.
Grove said the location was special to Campas.
“And we hope that everybody who drives up and down that highway and they see his name that maybe they stop or the passenger googles and says ‘wow this guy gave his life to save others,'” Grove said. “So we hope that is recognition that people not only here not only just in Kern County but anyone who drives through our community is a gateway from north to south to east to west in our nation will get an opportunity to see Phillip’s name up on that sign and google it and learn who Phillip Campas was.”
Campas, 35 at the time, was described by Sheriff Donny Youngblood as a star, an officer who ran toward gunfire.
