3,000 Hear Kolender Laud Hartless as ‘Very Good Cop’

Praised by his chief as “a very good cop,” San Diego Police Officer Jerry Hartless was buried Thursday afternoon as thousands of his fellow officers from the city he served and throughout the state followed his casket from a Clairemont church to the military cemetery on Point Loma.

“His attitude about police work was simple,” Chief Bill Kolender told 3,000 officers and other mourners--including Hartless’ widow, Shawn Dee, and other family members and friends--at Horizon Christian Fellowship Church.

“He would not give up. He knew the risks. He knew that by chasing people down darkened streets he was taking a chance.

“But,” the chief added, “he was doing what he wanted to do. He was doing what he had chosen to do.”

Hartless became the 11th San Diego police officer to die in the line of duty in 11 years. He was shot once in the head Jan. 9 while chasing a suspected drug offender through the nighttime streets of Southeast San Diego. He died Sunday, after more than three weeks in a coma and on life support systems, succumbing at last to pneumonia.

‘A Fierce Competitor’

Hartless, 24, graduated in May from the Police Academy, capturing his class’ coveted physical fitness award. In high school and among his colleagues on the police force, he was known for his speed and agility, and police theorize that he was shot in the head only after his assailant realized Hartless was about to gain on him in the foot pursuit.

“Jerry died doing what he loved most,” Kolender said. “He was an extraordinary athlete and a fierce competitor. There was no way that he was going to be beaten. Ever.”

Kolender also praised Hartless for other achievements. “In his short time with us, Jerry distinguished himself as a natural leader and a very good cop,” the chief said.

He recalled how during Hartless’ academy training, the young student often rallied his fellow classmates, encouraging them to hang tough and study hard to learn police work.

The chief recalled how Hartless once accidentally left his service revolver in his Jeep when he stopped at a convenience store on his way to work. When he returned, the gun was gone. Kolender said Hartless did not make excuses for his mistake. Instead he wrote an article for the department newspaper, commenting on the seriousness of officer safety.

The chief recalled how Hartless, shortly before his death, apprehended an armed and dangerous felon who was attempting to rape a woman. “That’s the kind of police work San Diego needs,” Kolender said.

Hartless, in his police employment application, wrote: “It seems that being a police officer in San Diego would never grow old or repetitious. As a police officer, I feel I would be dealt a challenge, something to test my spirit and my desire to achieve.

“I’ve always set my personal goals very high and would appreciate the opportunity to serve San Diego.”

On Thursday, the people of San Diego thanked Jerry Hartless. Each in his own way.

Six hundred law enforcement vehicles and 80 police motorcycles escorted his casket. A jogger who happened along outside the church paused and made a sign of the cross.

And someone hung a sign at Point Loma Avenue and Catalina Boulevard, a message not missed by the thousands who passed that way toward Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

The sign said simply: “Jerry Hartless, American hero.”