Police Honor Officers Killed in Line of Duty

Stretching a half-inch strip of black elastic across their brass badges, law enforcement officials in Ventura County joined peace officers nationwide Friday in honoring men and women who have died in the line of duty.

In a period marked by increasing violence against police officers, including the fatal shooting of an Oxnard officer last December, the observance held special meaning for many.

“We have one day for our soldiers and sailors, and the combat that our police officers engage in is no less deadly,” Oxnard Police Sgt. Fred Berry said.

Oxnard patrol cars and motorcycles drove with their headlights on Friday afternoon in a symbolic gesture of remembrance of Oxnard Detective James E. O’Brien and others killed in the line of duty, Berry said.

O’Brien was gunned down Dec. 2 after a Ventura man’s deadly rampage at an Oxnard jobs office. He was one of nine officers in Southern California shot to death in the line of duty last year.

At the Port Hueneme Police Department, where O’Brien once served, the black elastic band was a reminder of a fallen friend.

“This has a very special meaning this year,” Sgt. Jerry Beck said. “Jimmy was a member of this department for a long time.”

Port Hueneme, Ventura and Santa Paula police departments wore the bands all week, as did 6,000 California Highway Patrol officers in observance of National Police Memorial Week.