<Motor Officer Memorial> 2006
November 26, 2006
Officer Steve Favela 
Honolulu Police Department Hawaii

Officer Steve Favela succumbed to injuries sustained five days earlier in a motorcycle accident on O'Malley Boulevard, at Hickham Air Force Base, while escorting the motorcade of President George W. Bush.
The motorcade passed over a rain-slicked section of pavement, causing Officer Favela and two other motor officers to go into a slide. Officer Favela suffered severe internal injuries as a result of the incident and remained in critical condition until succumbing to his injuries. The other two officers sustained non-life threatening injuries.

Officer Favela had served with the Honolulu Police Department for 8 years. He is survived by his wife and four children.


September 28, 2006
Officer Kevin Louis Weeks 
Tempe Police Department Arizona
Officer Kevin Weeks died after crashing his police motorcycle on the Loop 101 near Broadway. 

Officer Weeks entered the freeway at the University ramp, where he ran into some railroad ties in the roadway and flipped his motorcycle at about 4:15 am. The railroad ties were part of construction debris from an adjoining light rail project. The accident occurred under a bridge where visibility was very limited. He was taken to a Scottsdale hospital after the crash and died shortly thereafter.

Officer Weeks was a 7 year veteran of the department. He is survived by his parents, sister, and girlfriend.


September 1, 2006
Corporal Robert T. Krauss 
Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department
Maryland
Corporal Robert Krauss died of his injuries that were inflicted 8 months earlier when his police motorcycle was struck by a drunk driver as he escorted a funeral procession. 

The collision occurred at the intersection of Gwynns Falls Parkway and Denison Street in Baltimore City.

The officer was transported to the hospital in critical condition, and he succumbed to his injuries while undergoing surgery.

On July 20, 2004, Corporal Krauss had been the first officer to arrive at the scene of the incident in which Officer Duke Aaron, of the same agency, was killed by a driver who was under the influence of narcotics.

Corporal Krauss had served with the Maryland Transportation Authority Police Department for 18 years. He is survived by his wife, parents, and brother



August 21, 2006
Police Officer Dennis Shuck 
Cheyenne Police Department Wyoming
Officer Dennis Shuck succumbed to injuries sustained two days earlier when his department motorcycle collided with a pickup truck as he attempted to stop a traffic violator. 

Prior to the collision, he had activated his emergency equipment as he attempted to pass the pickup truck on the right. The truck driver also attempted to move into the right lane and struck the motorcycle.

Officer Shuck was transported to a local hospital where he remained in critical condition until succumbing to his injuries.

Officer Shuck was a US Air Force and National Guard veteran. He had served with the Cheyenne Police Department for 12 years. Officer Shuck, a widower, was engaged to be remarried and is survived by his son, daughter, and six grandchildren.



A Personal Note: I live in Cheyenne Wyoming and am going to be a part of the motor unit here next summer.  I was inspired to be a motor officer by a man named Dennis Shuck.  He was part of the Cheyenne Police Department and the Larimie County Sheriffs before that.  He got into law enforcement after retiring from the Air Force.  Just after 8:15 on the morning of the 21st of August officer Shuck was struck by pickup and thrown 20 - 30 feet.  He was chasing a speeder on his police issue Honda through a dangerous and oddly shaped intersection.  Whether the driver did not see him or was trying to get out 
of the way is unknown.  Officer Shuck died about an hour later at United Medical Center West in Cheyenne.  The memorial service was set at the convention center where there was standing room only.  On the stage was a police issue Harley.  He will be missed by his family and the community as a whole.  Gregg Smith
August 14, 2006
Corporal Christopher Metternich 
Baton Rouge City Police Department Louisiana

Corporal Metternich was killed in a motorcycle accident at the intersection of Sherwood Forest Boulevard and Newcastle Avenue. He had just completed an accident investigation and was leaving the scene when he struck the side of a vehicle that made a left hand turn in front of him.

Corporal Metternich had served with the Baton Rouge Police Department for 7 years. He is survived by his wife, 6-month-old daughter, and 9-year-old stepson.


July 8, 2006
Deputy Sheriff Charles A. Fisher 
Portsmouth Sheriff's Office Virginia

Deputy Charles Fisher succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day when he was involved in a motorcycle accident on the ramp from Portsmouth Boulevard to I-264. A passing motorist used Deputy Fisher's radio to call for assistance. He was transported to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the following day. Deputy Fisher was en route to escort a funeral procession when he was involved in the single-vehicle crash.

He was kept on life support after being pronounced dead so his organs could be donated.

Deputy Fisher was a US Navy veteran. He had served as a full-time deputy for 4 months and had previously served as an auxiliary deputy for 9 years. He is survived by his wife, two children, three grandchildren, mother, and three siblings.



April 30, 2006
Police Officer Robert Daniel Targosz 
Gilbert Police Department Arizona

Officer Rob Targosz died from injuries received the previous day when his motorcycle was struck by a drunk driver.
The collision occurred when the drunk driver passed several stopped cars and ran a red light at the intersection of Price Road and Apache Boulevard. After the collision, the driver and a passenger both fled the scene. The driver was later captured and the passenger was taken into custody after returning to the scene.
The officer was taken to Scottsdale Osborne Healthcare Hospital where he died in surgery at approximately 1:30 am. Officer Targosz had served with the Gilbert Police Department for 12 years. He is survived by his wife.


March 27, 2006
Patrolman Terry Micheal Byrd 
Pascagoula Police Department Mississippi

Patrolman Byrd was killed in a motorcycle accident while on patrol in Pascagoula at approximately 0800 hours. 
He was thrown from the motorcycle and then struck by a passing truck. He was transported to Singing River Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Patrolman Byrd had served with the Pascagoula Police Department for 5.5 years. He is survived by his wife and child.


March 23, 2006
Deputy Pierre Bain 
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department California

Deputy Bain was killed in a motorcycle accident while he was attempting to pull over a speeding motorist.
Deputy Bain was following a speeding car approximately 1730 hours when he entered the intersection of Avenue K and 20th Street on a green light. A car alongside him veered into his lane. Deputy Bain swerved to avoid the car, but the car just nipped the motorcycle, causing it to crash. The motorcycle hit a tree, and Deputy Bain was thrown off the bike and into another tree, then into another, and suffered massive injuries. He died at the scene.

Deputy Bain had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 14 years and was assigned to the Lancaster station. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. 


February 25, 2006
Officer Gregory John Bailey 
California Highway Patrol
California

Officer Gregory Bailey was struck and killed by a drunk driver while conducting a traffic stop on I-15 in Hesperia. 
He had approached the stopped vehicle on the passenger side to speak with the driver. As he did so, another vehicle traveled onto the shoulder at a high rate of speed and struck Officer Bailey's motorcycle, the stopped vehicle, and the officer.

The vehicle struck with such force that the stopped vehicle was pushed back into the freeway and overturned. All three parties were flown to a local hospital where Officer Bailey succumbed to his injuries. The suspected drunk driver was taken into custody at the hospital and charged with felony driving under the influence.

Officer Bailey was a veteran of the California National Guard and had just returned from serving a tour of duty in Iraq during the War on Terrorism. He had served with the California Highway Patrol for 10 years, and was assigned to the Rancho Cucamonga office. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, two sons, and parents.