Full Notification

Beginning this weekend, members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department along with peace officers from throughout Southern California will begin the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Caravan. This unique and honored law enforcement tradition begins in Southern California and concludes in Sacramento where peace officers from throughout California will take part in a candlelight vigil at the California Peace Officers’ Memorial site in honor of the fallen officers.

On Monday, May 5, 2014, as part of the California Peace Officers' Memorial Ceremony, we will join our fellow California peace officers in honoring the memory of all California law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty and add the names of California officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in 2013. A state wide memorial caravan will travel from the California Highway Patrol Academy in West Sacramento to the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Monument in Sacramento, where a memorial service will be held.

These days of recognition are observed in conjunction with National Police Week, which runs from May 11 through May 17, 2014. National Police Week was first proclaimed in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. This week serves to recognize the contributions, efforts, and services of peace officers across our nation. 

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will honor the memory of the brave and dedicated peace officers in Los Angeles County who sacrificed their lives in the performance of their duties in the Annual Memorial Torch Relay Run which was established in 1976.

The run, which consists of 56 legs of varying distance, will begin its non-stop journey from the Sherman Block Sheriff’s Headquarters building and travel 339 miles. The Memorial Torch will pass each of the mainland Sheriff’s stations over the course of three days. Thousands of runners will participate in the relay which ends at the Altadena Sheriff's Station on Sunday May 18th.

This year’s Memorial Torch Relay Run will honor LASD Deputy Adolfo Celis, End of Watch April 18, 1883, LASD Constable Anton Harnischfeger, End of Watch March 20, 1889, LASD Deputy Constable Anthony Bryan Couts, End of Watch October 25, 1914, LASD Constable John S. (Jack) Pilcher, End of Watch June 4, 1925, LASD Deputy James McDermott, End of Watch August 26, 1931, LASD Sergeant Raymond C. Willis, End of Watch April 15, 1957, Hawthorne Police Department Sergeant Leonard Robert Luna Jr., End of Watch July 8, 2013, LAPD Officer Nicholas Choung Lee, End of Watch March 7, 2014, LAPD Officer Chris Cortijo, End of Watch April 5, 2014, and most recent LAPD Officer Roberto Sanchez, End of Watch May 3, 2014. 

The run will begin on Friday, May 16, 2013, at 9 a.m.and end on Sunday, May 18th at the Altadena Sheriff's Station around 2:30 PM.  We invite the community to join us at the Altadena Sheriff's Station to honor those that have fallen.  This year is especially important to Altadena Sheriff's Station as one of our own, Constable Anton Harnischfeger, who through historical research and records was discovered to have been killed near what is now the Arryo Seco area and Altadena was part of his area of jurisdiction at the time of his untimely death.   

The Altadena Sheriff's Station would like to remind the community that Peace Officers Memorial weekend and week is time set aside to honor the memory of those Officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives to make our communities safe.