Slain Officer’s Gun Granted to Station for Her Memorial

The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday granted police officers at the North Hollywood station the pistol carried by the first female Los Angeles officer killed in the line of duty so they can make it part of a memorial to be donated to her family.

The 9mm Beretta and other police paraphernalia used by Officer Tina Kerbrat will become part of a “shadow box,” a traditional retirement trophy, for Kerbrat’s husband and two young children, said Capt. Bruce Mitchell.

“As the children get older they’ll always have that to remember that their mother was a Los Angeles police officer,” Mitchell said.

Kerbrat was shot in the head Feb. 11 after she and her partner stopped to question two men who were drinking on a Sun Valley street.

Her partner returned fire, killing the gunman, Jose Amaya.

The shadow box is a longstanding tradition among officers in the department, a reminder of their years of service, Mitchell said.

The boxes are lined with velvet and filled with items used by officers during their years with the department--gun, cap piece, buttons and medals--that have been gold-plated.

“It’s cherished by officers,” Mitchell said. “So much so that most officers who retire have a shadow box.”

Usually, officers purchase the property from the city before they retire.

Because Kerbrat was killed so early in her career, and the items still officially belonged to the city, a motion had to be approved allowing them to be sold.

The gun was sold to her fellow officers for a token sum of $1.

Without approval of the token amount, the memorial would have cost more than $500, Mitchell said.