April 29, 2025, marks 20 years since Los Angeles Airport Police Officer Tommy Scott made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty — a tragic loss we continue to mourn deeply. On this solemn occasion and throughout the next month, we will honor his memory and pay tribute to all our fallen brethren as we observe the California Peace Officers’ Memorial ceremonies followed by National Police Week and National Peace Officers Memorial Day. A heartbreaking reminder of the daily risks law enforcement officers take to protect and serve our communities, this is a time to grieve, reflect, come together in solidarity, offer comfort to surviving families and colleagues, and show the world that these sacrifices are real and will never be forgotten.

On April 29, 2005, 35-year-old LAXPD Officer Tommy Scott was killed while heroically protecting our community from a man who had commandeered his patrol car near the airport and was intent on crashing it into an airplane on the LAX runway. The first police officer to die in the line of duty in the history of the Airport Police force, Scott left behind a legacy of bravery, dedication, service and love for his job and community. He was fondly remembered as one of the kindest officers on the force, with a contagious smile and positive energy. Before becoming a cop, he worked as an aquatic supervisor for the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation for 15 years and notably saved two children from drowning. He joined the Airport Police on October 7, 2001, graduating from Rio Hondo Police Academy on February 21, 2002. At the time of his death, Scott served as a field training officer, and his influence lives on in all those who had the privilege of learning from him.

LAAPOA has continued to keep his memory alive through the Los Angeles Airport Police Athletics and Activities League (LAAPAAL) Tommy Scott Memorial Scholarship Fund, which has provided scholarships to dozens of deserving students in his memory. To make a contribution to this worthy cause in Scott’s honor, visit laapoa.com/donate. LAAPOA was also vocal in supporting the 2023 installation of signs on the north and southbound portions of Interstate 405 near LAX as a permanent reminder of Scott’s life, work and sacrifice for the community he served. As we honor this year’s milestone anniversary of the loss of our beloved brother, the LAXPD Emergency Services Unit will hold its annual run in his honor on April 30. Our Association and Department will also have a strong presence at the state and national law enforcement memorial events, including several members riding in Scott’s memory as part of the Police Unity Tour to Washington, D.C., in May.

The month of May has been a sacred time for our profession since 1962, when President John F. Kennedy established May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which it falls as National Police Week. Many local and state agencies and organizations across the U.S. hold annual memorial events around this time to pay homage to fallen officers. Each year, along with Scott, LAAPOA remembers the others within our own ranks whom we lost too soon, including Captain Albert E. Torres (EOW: October 12, 2019), the first Los Angeles Park Ranger killed in the line of duty. We also honor the memory of the more than 1,670 officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice since California became a state, whose names are engraved on the Peace Officers’ Memorial monument in Sacramento. This year, during the candlelight vigil on May 4 and the enrollment ceremony on May 5, California will recognize three officers killed in the line of duty in 2024 and two who died in past years. For more information on the California Peace Officers’ Memorial Ceremonies, visit camemorial.org. 

Officer Austin Machitar
San Diego Police Department
EOW: August 26, 2024

Officer Matthew Bowen
Vacaville Police Department
EOW: July 11, 2024

Deputy Alfredo Flores
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
EOW: April 20, 2024

Officer Chad E. Swanson
Manhattan Beach Police Department
EOW: October 4, 2023

Officer Terry D. Long
El Monte Police Department
EOW: August 22, 2004

The three fallen heroes from 2024 listed above, along with several other California line-of-duty deaths from past years, will be further memorialized in ceremonies in Washington, D.C., during National Police Week, May 11–17. Their names are among those of the 345 U.S. officers — 148 who were killed in 2024 and 197 from previous years — added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial this year. They and the rest of the more than 24,000 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history will be 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 on May 11. For more information on these and many more events, visit policeweek.org and nleomf.org/memorial/programs/national-police-week-2025.

“Although 20 years have now passed since the terrible day when we lost our brother Tommy Scott, we know that time can never diminish the impact of his life or the selfless sacrifice he made,” LAAPOA President Marshall McClain says. “We will always carry his memory in our hearts, along with that of our brother Albert E. Torres and all of our fallen heroes throughout the state and nationwide. To everyone who has lost a family member, friend or colleague in the line of duty, we offer our deepest condolences. I would encourage every law enforcement officer, and indeed every citizen, to make an effort to attend next month’s local, state or national memorial ceremonies as a tribute to our heroes — to show support, to bear witness and to remind our civic leaders and the public of the dangers we face in our profession. But regardless of whether you are present in person or with us in spirit, I hope we can all take time to reflect with reverence and gratitude on those who gave their lives for their communities.”