The Signal Hill Police Department will raise its flag at half mast tomorrow, May 15, to honor Peace Officers Memorial Day—a federal event that will round out nationwide observance of Police Week.
In 2020, 264 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, representing a 93% increase in line-of-duty deaths from 2019, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF).
Most officers died during shootings and car crashes, but another cause of death emerged in 2020: COVID-19.
Last year, more than half of all line-of-duty deaths were caused by COVID-19.
“It must be noted however, as the pandemic rages on, NLEOMF has already identified a significant number of additional Covid-19-related fatalities,” the NLEOMF 2020 report states. “Once these cases are confirmed, NLEOMF projects that the total number of Covid-19 fatalities and the total number of line-of-duty deaths will grow significantly.”
Though no SHPD officers have died in the line of duty since 2011, there have been few days this past year where officers didn’t wear mourning bands—black bands placed across the center of their badges to signal the recent death of a police officer.
“Right now, we are wearing mourning bands. We did lose two police officers within the last couple of days in California,” SHPD Lieutenant Kelli Crigler said.
She noted that thanks to a proactive collection of personal protective equipment, “very, very strict” mask and health precautions and creative scheduling, no SHPD officers died of COVID-19.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, it just became normal,” she said.
In addition to the pandemic, 2020 saw a summer of civil unrest, though Signal Hill wasn’t subject to the protests and later riots that swept Long Beach last June.
“Obviously, it’s been a challenging year for all of law enforcement, but our community is very different,” Crigler said. “We’re very blessed to have really good relationships with our residents and business owners.”
The SHPD was the first police agency in Los Angeles County to use body-worn cameras department-wide, Crigler noted. SHPD, which covers the 2.2 square mile area of Signal Hill, is much smaller than neighboring departments, giving officers an opportunity to build relationships with community members.
“We have that luxury of being so small, we really get to know [the community],” she said. “People can call us directly all the time. We’re very responsive in the field and in the office.”
As the department looks towards mourning on Saturday, Crigler took the opportunity to thank local residents who have supported them through the past year.
“I would like to extend gratitude to our community. We often have people stop by to bring us cookies or cards or signs of appreciation for our service, not just during Police Week, but all year round,” Crigler said. ”It’s just as a great reminder for all of our personnel here that they are appreciated during these challenging times, and this is a great place to work. So we’re just very grateful to our community that we serve.”
