Peace Officers Memorial - Sheriff, Office of the (ELO)

Title Image: Memorial

The Sheriff's Memorial Service
is held each year in May
at the Memorial Site
in front of the Sheriff's Office
55 W. Younger Avenue

PURPOSE

To create a permanent tribute to the men and women who have served the residents of Santa Clara County- past, present, and future - for their courage, dedication, and sacrifice.

DEDICATION

This memorial site is dedicated to the Peace Officers who have given their lives in service to the citizens of Santa Clara County and to their families who continue to feel the loss of their loved one.

DESCRIPTION

The site represents a tribute to all law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty while serving the citizens of Santa Clara Valley since statehood in 1850. The memorial includes 36 bronze plaques with the names of law enforcement officers from agencies throughout Santa Clara Valley who have fallen in the line of duty. Mr. Vic Riesau, a retired Los Angeles Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy, was commissioned to design a bronze relief depicting three (3) officers. Mr. Riesau is the artist who designed the California Peace Officers Memorial in Sacramento.

LOCATION

The county's law enforcement memorial site is located in front of Sheriff's Headquarters, 55 Younger Avenue, San Jose.

IN MEMORIAM
Name	Date of Death	Agency
Martin J. Roohan	October 23,1862	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
W.W. Hendricks	February 15, 1866	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
George T. Headen	October 19, 1897	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
George Whybark	March 14, 1910	Santa Clara Night Watchman
Morris V. Hubbard	July 12, 1924	San Jose Police Department
Albert S. Margason	March 27, 1927	Santa Clara County State Traffic Force
Herbert McAuley	November 11, 1931	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
John Buck	April 5, 1933	San Jose Police Department
Raymond H. Berry	April 8, 1945	California Highway Patrol
John J. Covalesk	November 15, 1950	San Jose Police Department
Ralph Vargas	September 30, 1952	California Highway Patrol
Eugene Denton	July 8, 1955	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Gary L. Larson	January 28, 1962	Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Coburn V. Jewell	February 1, 1964	California Highway Patrol
William L. Rickabaugh	January 11, 1966	Santa Clara Police Department
Charles D. Lilly	October 29, 1967	California Highway Patrol
Lester H. Cole	January 31, 1969	Palo Alto Police Department
Richard E. Huerta	August 6, 1970	San Jose Police Department
Gene A. Clifton	November 19, 1971	Palo Alto Police Department
Bernard L Mendis	October 20, 1971	Santa Clara Police Department
Charles W. Morris	September 23, 1972	Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
William D. McKim	February 6, 1973	California Highway Patrol
Adolfo M. Hernandez	June 7, 1975	California Highway Patrol
Frederick W. Enright	June 7, 1975	California Highway Patrol
Charles P. Fraker	August 1, 1976	Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Edward J. Roth	November 29, 1980	Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Spencer L. Little	December 2, 1983	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Robert A. White	January 27, 1985	San Jose Police Department
Henry Bunch	July 29, 1985	San Jose Police Department
Douglas B. Miller	June 6, 1986	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Manuel Lopez Jr.	March 3, 1987	Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety
Robert Wirht	September 8, 1988	San Jose Police Department
Gordon A. Silva	January 20, 1989	San Jose Police Department
Gene R. Simpson	January 20, 1989	San Jose Police Department
Paul R. Bush	September 12, 1990	Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Theodore H. Brassinga	May 15, 1994	Palo Alto Police Department
Scott M. Greenly	January 7, 1998	California Highway Patrol
Desmond J. Casey	October 25, 1999	San Jose Police Department
Jeffrey M. Fontana	October 28, 2001	San Jose Police Department

A Part of America Died

Somebody killed a policemen today, and
A part of America died.
A piece of our country he swore to protect
Will be buried with him at his side.
The suspect who shot him will stand up in court,
With counsel demanding his rights,
While a young widowed mother must work for her kids
And spend alone many long nights,
The beat that he walked was a battlefield, too,
Just as if he'd gone off to war.
Though the flag of our nation won't fly at half-mast,
To his name, they will add a gold star.
Yes somebody killed a policeman to today.
It happened in your town or mine.
While we slept in comfort behind our locked doors,
A cop put his life on the line.
Now his ghost walks a beat on a dark city street,
And he stands at each new rookie's side.
He answered the call and gave us his all,
And a part of America died.

Author Unknown

IN MEMORIAM