Citing COVID concerns, 2021 Shasta County Peace Officer Memorial events cancelled

SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. — Citing COVID concerns, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office announced today that this year’s planned National Police Week commemorative events honoring Shasta County law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty have been scrapped.

“Due to the COVID Pandemic, it has been decided with great sadness that the in-person ceremony, memorial run, and luncheon will be cancelled,” officials wrote in today’s news release; which added that the county will still devote Thursday, May 13th to honor the local Shasta County Peace Officers that have been lost throughout its history.

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To honor the 16 officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, the Sundial Bridge will be lit up blue and the 33rd Annual Candlelight Vigil will be able to be viewed and participated in virtually, officials said in their release.

The Shasta County Peace Officer Memorial Coalition Facebook page, as well as other local law enforcement pages, will also honor those Shasta County Peace Officers with a tribute and memorial slide show presented by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the Sheriff’s release, nationally, the 2020 roll call of Heroes includes the names of 307 officers killed in the line of duty; all of which were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.

These 307 officers included 135 officers who were killed during 2019, plus 172 officers who died in previous years but whose stories of sacrifice had been lost to history until now, according to officials.

In California, 18 officers gave their lives in the line of duty from 2018 to the end of 2020. There were also eight more officers from the distant past added to the roster, said officials; who added, “Gratefully, no Shasta County law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during 2019 or 2020.”

“We encourage members of the public and press view the Sundial Bridge tribute,” officials said; adding that any questions regarding the Peace Officer Memorial can be directed to Deputy J. Bodner at (530) 245-6184.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.