On May 4, 2006, at 9:00 am, the Santa Monica Police Department will participate in the 16th Annual California Peace Officers’ Memorial Caravan. Police personnel from various police agencies will stage at the Red Lobster located at 27524 The Old Road, Valencia, CA, 91355. Our contingent consists of law enforcement agencies from the Southern California area, which will join with Central and Northern California agencies, in a statewide tour en route to the state’s capital for this solemn tribute.
The ceremonies will honor those officers who have died in the line of duty during the year of 2005, and in addition, the ceremony will acknowledge and honor officers from past years. The officers, whom lost their lives in 2005, will be memorialized by the addition of their names to the Peace Officer Memorial monument, located at the state’s capital. This event will pay tribute to those whom have given their lives to protect the citizens in the communities they served and will acknowledge the courage and bravery of that service.
The caravan consists of uniformed officers who will drive police vehicles representing their agency. It is estimated that the caravan line of police vehicle will extend over one mile in length. In the past years thousands have attended this Memorial event.
Among the participants will be the deceased peace officers’ families and children, to whom we will show our deepest respect, honor, and admiration for their courage in assisting us in this caravan which celebrates the life of their family member. We will never forget the sacrifice of their loved ones.
A sobering fact, which makes this year’s memorial even more personal, is that the State of California led the nation in 2005 in police officers killed (22) in the line of duty. The number of officers killed and injured last year along with the number of officers and deputies slain so far in 2006, is a constant reminder of the dangers officers face daily.
This year is a particularly difficult one for the Santa Monica Police Department. We will pay final tribute to the memory of Santa Monica Police Officer Rick Crocker, who was a Major in the United States Marine Corps. Officer Crocker was killed in May of 2005, in a rocket-propelled grenade attack during his second tour of duty in Iraq.
The Santa Monica Police Department organized the Memorial caravan fifteen years ago to respect and honor the memory of those who have given their lives while engaged in the service and protection of our communities
