Ceremony Honors Fallen Officers

Robert S. Mata wears a bracelet inscribed with the badge number of his son and the “end of watch” date when the police officer died in a car crash en route to assist another officer.

“When you lose a son, you lose a part of yourself,” Mata said Friday after a ceremony to honor Los Angeles Police Department officers who have died in the line of duty, including his son, Robert J. Mata. “I was sorry to see what happened to my son but I’m glad he was an LAPD officer. He did something he wanted to do.”

Police officials said the ceremony commemorated 196 Los Angeles officers who have died in the line of duty since 1907. The ceremony was held outside police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles in observance of National Police Week.

The event brought together nearly 300 law enforcement officials in addition to city officials, politicians and the loved ones of fallen officers.

“Today is a day to give thanks. A time for all Angelenos to give an honorable thanks to the 196 men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Mayor Richard Riordan told the crowd. “This is a time to believe. A time to believe in angels. Those angels dressed in blue and wearing the badge of the Los Angeles Police Department over their hearts.”

LAPD Chief Bernard C. Parks said he realizes there is a tremendous void left by the loss of each officer.

“I want to assure each and every one of you today that their lives were not lost in vain,” Parks said. “We have vivid memories to hold on to dearly. Yet, they are not enough to fill the void.”

Some families became emotional during the ceremony.

Robert J. Mata’s widow, Holly, an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy, tearfully accepted a citation in recognition of her husband’s service. Mata, who was 26 when he died in September, also left two young daughters.

Officer Douglas Datria said later that he will never forget the day Mata died.

“It’s like losing a member of the family,” he said. “We were all really tight.”