Plaque to Honor Female Officer Killed on Duty
Nearly a decade after Tina Kerbrat became the first female officer in Los Angeles history to die in the line of duty, she will be honored by the community she lost her life protecting.
In a ceremony Saturday morning at Sun Valley Park, city officials and community activists will honor Kerbrat by dedicating a large bronze plaque with her LAPD badge number and a brief inscription remembering her in English and Spanish.
More than 40 family members, including her two children and widower, are expected to attend the event, which will feature an LAPD concert band and a mariachi group.
“We’re remembering someone who gave the ultimate sacrifice to make this community better,” said John Eshbach, president of the Sun Valley Neighborhood Improvement Organization, which coordinated the memorial project.
Kerbrat was a 34-year-old rookie with the LAPD’s North Hollywood Division on Feb. 11, 1991 when she was killed near the corner where the memorial will be located. She was shot in the face by one of two men drinking beer near the corner of Sunland Boulevard and Cantara Street.
Kerbrat’s partner, Officer Earl Valladares, returned fire, killing the gunman and taking the other man into custody. At the time, Kerbrat’s son was 6, her daughter 3.
The plaza and memorial cost about $165,000, Eshbach said.
Saturday’s ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at Sun Valley Park, 8133 Vineland Ave., at the corner of Vineland Avenue and Lorne Street.
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