On April 29, LAAPOA will honor the service and sacrifice of LAXPD Officer Tommy Edward Scott, 35, who was killed in the line of duty on that day 18 years ago while heroically protecting the aviation community from a man intent on crashing a vehicle into an airplane on the LAX airport runway.
On that day in 2005, a pedestrian had commandeered Scott’s patrol car on Lincoln Boulevard, dragging Scott alongside as the officer struggled to regain control of the steering wheel. The man eventually hit a fire hydrant, killing Scott. He was the first police officer to die in the line of duty in the history of the Airport Police force.
Scott joined the Airport Police on October 7, 2001, graduating from Rio Hondo Police Academy on February 21, 2002. Before that, he worked as an aquatic supervisor for the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation for 15 years, where he notably saved two children from drowning. At the time of his death, Scott served as a field training officer. He was fondly remembered by his colleagues as being one of the kindest officers on the force, with a contagious smile and positive energy.
Since Scott’s death, LAAPOA has made concerted efforts to keep his memory alive, organizing the Tommy Scott Memorial 5K and 10K LAX Run for several years in partnership with the Los Angeles Airport Police Athletics & Activities League, Los Angeles World Airports and the Association of Airport Employees, as well as establishing the Tommy Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has provided scholarships to dozens of deserving students in his memory over the years.
Recently, LAAPOA was vocal in supporting California State Senator Ben Allen’s introduction of the Officer Tommy Scott Memorial Highway Bill (SCR-39) in 2021. Last year, we were pleased to announce the passage of the bill, which has made it possible to forever honor Scott’s legacy on a specified portion of Interstate Highway Route 405.
The anniversary of Scott’s death leads into the month of May, a sacred time in which the law enforcement community across the country honors the fallen during National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremonies. Along with Scott, we also remember those within our own ranks whom we have lost too soon, including Captain Albert E. Torres (EOW: October 12, 2019), the first Los Angeles Park Ranger killed in the line of duty, and those statewide. This year, at the state level, we will be recognizing eight officers who died in 2022, as well as one who from the prior year, at the Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremony on May 8 in Sacramento. The following officers’ names will be forever etched on the state’s monument, which pays tribute to the over 1,500 peace officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since California became a state. For more information regarding the ceremony, please visit camemorial.org.
Officer Tyler Ryan Lenehan
Elk Grove Police Department
EOW: January 21, 2022
Officer Nicholas Vella
Huntington Beach Police Department
EOW: February 19, 2022
Correctional Lieutenant Steve M. Taylor
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office
EOW: February 24, 2022
Officer Jorge David Alvarado
Salinas Police Department
EOW: February 25, 2022
Officer Houston Ryan Tipping
Los Angeles Police Department
EOW: May 29, 2022
Sergeant Michael Paredes
El Monte Police Department
EOW: June 14, 2022
Officer Joseph Santana
El Monte Police Department
EOW: June 14, 2022
Deputy Isaiah Cordero
Riverside County Sheriff’s Office
EOW: December 29, 2022
Officer Michael Edward Wall
Los Angeles County Probation Department
EOW: April 30, 2021
Our California officers will also be memorialized during National Police Week ceremonies in Washington, D.C., on May 11–16. They will be among the 556 U.S. law enforcement officers — 224 who died in 2022 and 332 from previous years — who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and publicly honored in annual events such as the Police Unity Tour (concludes in D.C. on May 12), the Candlelight Vigil (May 13), the National Police Survivors Conference (May 14 and 16) and the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service (May 15). Police dogs will also be honored during the annual National Police K-9 Memorial Service, which kicks off the week’s events on May 11. For more information on these and many more events, visit policeweek.org and nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-2023.
“We will never forget the service and sacrifice of our brothers, Tommy Scott and Albert E. Torres, as well as the fallen from our extended law enforcement family throughout the state and nationwide,” LAAPOA President Marshall McClain says. “Ahead of police memorial month, we encourage those in law enforcement, our supporters and the community at large to make time, if possible, to attend local, state and national ceremonies to help honor the memory of our heroes in blue and to support their survivors.”