Memorial Dedicated to Area’s Fallen Officers

Six-year-old Gabriella Aguirre walked up to the shiny new memorial in front of the County Government Center and stared at one of the names etched in the marble.

She lifted her hands and pressed them against the letters making up her father’s name. Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Aguirre Jr. died July 17, 1996, shot several times as he entered a home in Meiners Oaks to answer a domestic-violence call. Gabriella was just 4 years old.

“Even after she has children of her own, she will remember this day,” widow Dina Aguirre said later as she recalled her daughter’s reaction to the memorial.

The Aguirres were among 300 people who turned out for the dedication ceremony Monday for the new Ventura County Slain Peace Officers’ Memorial. Many among the crowd were family members of officers killed in the line of duty, including the family of Deputy Lisa D. Whitney, who died in an August car accident while on her way to interview witnesses in a case.

During his speech at the dedication, Sheriff Bob Brooks spoke to those families, assuring them their loved ones would not be forgotten.

“The valor each one displayed and their sacrifice will forever be remembered by us and by future generations,” Brooks said. “As you walk around this monument, as you touch your loved one’s name and as you share those personal remembrances with friends and family, and, most importantly with your children, I hope your heart swells with the pride and love you deserve.”

The memorial, reaching over 7 feet tall, bears the names of 28 deputies, police and California Highway Patrol officers killed in the line of duty. Benches align either side of the memorial, and an American flag waves from the top. The words “Lest We Forget” are carved across the front.

The Peace Officers’ Assn. of Ventura County, with help from the county’s Rotary clubs, raised the $60,000 it cost to erect the marble salute to fallen officers. The money came chiefly through donations, $100-a-plate dinners and T-shirt sales.

Port Hueneme Sgt. Jerry Beck, president of the Peace Officers’ Assn., said the memorial was intended to replace a smaller one that stood outside the sheriff’s station in Ventura. A raised concrete block bearing several gold plates with the names of fallen deputies had stood as the main tribute to the officers before the unveiling of the memorial Monday. But many believed something more dignified, more visible was needed.

“We felt this was much more appropriate,” Beck said. “We wanted a place that would honor the people who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the people of Ventura County and would remember them with pride.”

For Dina Aguirre, Monday’s ceremony also provided a chance to share in her grief with other families. She spoke to the wife and son of Sheriff’s Deputy Harvey Varat, who died in 1973 after contracting a fatal disease when he was bitten by a tick during a training mission. Varat’s son was 6 years old at the time.

“He said he still remembered his father and that gave me some comfort,” Aguirre said. “He said he can still smell him sometimes. That just gave me chills because my daughter says she can still smell her daddy in his hat.”

Gabriella brought the hat with her to the ceremony, explaining to her mother that “she wanted to bring her daddy with her.”