Bill Would Help Range Master’s Family

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) has introduced a bill that would help the family of Santa Ana Police Department range master Joseph Boyd receive benefits--even though Boyd was a civilian working for the department and not a sworn officer when he died.

“The tragedy to me is my dad was working on a really huge case,” said Keith Boyd, a 32-year-old teacher in San Diego. “He was killed in the line of duty. . . . We just want to make sure that our mother is taken care of by the system, since she lost not only her best friend, but the love of her life.”

Joseph Boyd, 54, was assisting the Santa Ana Police Department in testing an illegal MAC-10 9-millimeter weapon in conjunction with a gun-trafficking and murder-for-hire case.

The gun misfired, killing Boyd. The department tried to get benefits for his wife, Marion, under a program designed to provide death benefits to police officers who die in the line of duty. The U.S. Department of Justice denied his claim.

Sanchez’s bill would waive the requirement that the victim be a sworn officer in Boyd’s case.

“Officer Joe Boyd was a credit to his department, and his dedication to law enforcement was an inspiration to his colleagues at SAPD,” Sanchez said. “His family deserves this compensation, and I am going to do all I can to make sure they receive it.”

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said he will help make sure Boyd’s widow gets the compensation she deserves.

“Joe Boyd was a police officer,” Walters said. “To deny his wife and family this limited financial help due simply to a technicality is not right.”