‘Let us never forget’: Tulare County’s fallen peace officers remembered in ceremony

A large crowd of Tulare County law enforcement officers, families and friends of officers killed in the line of duty, city and county officials and community members were in attendance at the 2025 Tulare County Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony. 

The Wednesday, May 7, ceremony, which included speakers, an honor guard, a wreath placement, bagpipes, a musical chorus, the posting of colors and a riderless horse, was held at the Peace Officer Memorial at the corner of Burrel Avenue and Woodland Street in Visalia.

“There aren't many who stand up to go into dangerous situations while everyone else is running away,” Tulare County Board of Supervisors Chair Pete Vander Poel told the gathering. “All of you individuals who are standing here today, all of our peace officers choose to do that. All the men and women on this wall chose to do the same, and for that, we as a community are truly grateful.

“I say thank you, and I honor and respect those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said, before reading a proclamation from the board of supervisors designating May 7, 2025 as “Peace Officers Memorial Day in Tulare County.”

The proclamation expressed the county’s “gratitude for the dedicated service and courageous deeds of our law enforcement officers, and the contributions they have made to the security and well-being of our communities.”

It also acknowledged the “spouses grieving a lost partner, children missing a parent, parents surviving a child, brothers, sisters, and fellow law enforcement officials” who attend the annual ceremony “to pay tribute to these fallen heroes.”

“Let us never forget those names who were inscribed on this wall, and let us always pray that we will never add another,” Vander Poel said.

“Looking around here this morning, it gets a little emotional, it really does, seeing the men and women in uniform, and all those that we know working behind the scenes for public safety,” Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said. “We truly remember the courageous acts that took place with our peace officers who did give their lives, which we give the title of ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives for community and to our nation.”

The history behind the names

Boudreaux then shared some of the history behind the names on the wall.

“On July 5 in 1889, Deputy John Nick Wren was shot and killed,” he said. “He was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man on a warrant because he had been abusing his wife. Like Deputy Wren, many of the fallen who were killed either by gunfire or tragic accidents are on this wall.

“In 1892, we had Deputy Oscar Beaver who is on this wall,” he continued. “He was fatally shot when he was attempting to arrest two train robbers. You can read the book and look it up under ‘Sontag and Evans,’ but John Sontag and Chris Evans were the train robbers that shot and killed Deputy Oscar Beaver.

“Public safety was their goal and it's still true today,” Boudreaux said about Wren and Beaver. “Law enforcement deals with it each and every day. We go to abusive homes where women are victims of domestic violence just like Deputy Wren. We go to armed robberies just as Deputy Beaver did in attempting to arrest train robbers.

“Nothing's changed,” he said. “Human nature is still the same, and it requires good men and women to push back against evil as we do.

There are 28 peace officers on the monument, including people from the Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Tulare Police Department, Lindsay Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Visalia Police Department, Exeter Police Department, Dinuba Police Department, U.S. National Park Service and Office of Protective Services, according to Boudreaux.

“Of those on the wall, 11 died from gunfire, 13 died from traffic accidents, including those killed by drunk drivers,” he said. “We had a civilian and an officer killed in a plane crash. Two on the wall died from COVID. One national park ranger, he went missing and was found many, many years later.

“When a loved one tragically dies in the line of duty, we as the law enforcement family, we hurt and we have heartache, but as I look upon the family, no one feels it more than the families that are sitting here in front of us today,” he said. “Today, I personally give you honor, and so do the men and women in uniform here today.

“We pledge to honor their memory and continue to support their families for their sacrifice, and each will never be forgotten,” Boudreaux said. “We commit to working towards a safer community as we remember those fallen heroes. We acknowledge their courage.

“May our fallen heroes rest in peace,” he added. “And may their memory and their families be a beacon of light.”

Visalia Mayor Brett Taylor was the keynote speaker.

“I don't know if there's a more beautiful sight than seeing so much love and support for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

“We stand in sadness, but also with deep pride to honor these officers who made the ultimate sacrifice, not for glory, not for money, but for their personal conviction to serve and honor their communities,” he said. “These fallen heroes didn't just wear a uniform. They lived a calling. They were parents, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors. They stood between danger and safety, fear and peace. Ehey did it with honor.”

Taylor talked about going on police ride-alongs, which he started doing about 20 years ago. During the first one, he recalled seeing an officer saving the life of a man in a local park who would otherwise have died from an overdose.

“One of the most exciting ride-alongs I've recently gone on was just a few weeks ago, where I watched an officer blow through a door, kind of like the Kool-Aid man, running down an alley, tackling a perpetrator like an NFL linebacker, protecting our community,” he said. “These are very special memories that I've made, and they were made possible by those who dared to put the badge on every single day.

“The officers we remember today gave their lives so that others could live,” Taylor said. “The service was not just a job. It was a promise. A promise to keep watch, to answer the call, to never quit, no matter what the risk was.

“To the families here today, we see your pain, we feel your pain, but we also share your pride,” he added. “Your loved ones will not be forgotten. Their names are written in stone and written on the hearts of every single one of us.”

End of Watch Roll Call

The End of Watch Roll Call, read by Dinuba Police Chief Abel Iriarte, included the names of the following Tulare County officers who were killed in the line of duty:

• Deputy John Wren, 1889
• Deputy Oscar Beaver, 1892
• Tulare City Marshal George Martin, 1903
• Tulare Constable Robert Carter, 1918
• Lindsay Officer Owen Barlow, 1935
• CHP Officer Norman Kessler, 1945
• CHP Officer Richard Simpson, 1946
• Visalia Sgt. Charles Garrison, 1946
• Tulare Officer Richard Smith, 1947
• Special Deputy Carl Johnson, 1951
• Deputy Ross Cochran, 1951
• CHP Officer John Ellis, 1963
• Deputy Vernon Cox, 1965
• Deputy Carlos Magana, 1970
• Exeter Officer Thomas Schroth, 1975
• Sheriff's Detective Monty Conley, 1985
• Sheriff's Detective Joseph Landin, 1985
• Deputy Michael Egan, 1989
• Dinuba Officer Ronald Hills, 1992
• National Parks Service Ranger James Morgenson, 1996
• Visalia Officer James Rapozo, 1998
• Deputy Kevin Elium, 2005
• Sheriff's Detective Kent Haws, 2007
• Sheriff's Sgt. Greg Hernandez, 2009
• Deputy Jeremy Meyst, 2013
• Deputy Scott Ballantyne, 2016 
• Sheriff’s Pilot James Chavez, 2016
• Office of Protective Services Lt. Franklin Arnold IV, 2021
• Deputy Frank Holguin III, 2021
• Visalia K-9 Officer Bane, 2018
• K-9 Deputy Rocco, 2019