The Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS) and the Arizona Highway Patrol Association (AHPA) will gather with family, friends, and the community on Monday, May 4, to honor the lives and careers of the 29 DPS Officers who lost their lives during the commission of their service to Arizona.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, DPS Director Frank Milstead, and AHPA President Sgt. Jimmy Chavez will be speaking at the ceremony.
The ceremony will commence promptly at 9:00 a.m. on the DPS memorial lawn located at 2102 West Encanto Boulevard in Phoenix, Arizona.
Twenty-nine Arizona Highway Patrol/Department of Public Safety Officers gave their lives in the line of duty. Of the 29 deaths, eight were the result of murder, 17 were traffic related, two died in a helicopter crash, one died in a helicopter accident, and one killed when a train exploded.
Timothy A. Huffman, 47 (2013)
Residence: Dateland
Badge: 5430
End of Watch: May, 6, 2013
Officer Huffman was on scene helping investigate an injury collision on Interstate 8, 40 miles east of Yuma, when a tanker truck failed to yield to the closure of the number-two lane on the highway. The driver of the semi-truck, Jorge Espinoza, 33, first collided with a parked patrol car, which then crashed into Huffman’s patrol car. Huffman was seated inside his patrol car writing a report and was killed by the force of the impact. He was 47 years old.
Christopher R. Marano, 28 (2009)
Residence: Surprise
Badge: 6759
End of Watch: December 17, 2009
Officer Marano died from injuries suffered when he was struck by a vehicle while deploying stop sticks during a pursuit on the Loop 101 in Phoenix. The suspect Georgia Lynn Baker, 43 eventually abandoned her vehicle and fled on foot into a neighborhood. She was apprehended by officers at a condominium complex shortly after abandoning the stolen vehicle. In October 2011, Baker was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder, six years for unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle and 11 ¼ years for theft of means of transportation.
Bruce W. Harrolle, 36 (2008)
Badge: 5669
End of Watch: October 13, 2008
DPS Officer/Paramedic Bruce W. Harrolle was killed while assisting with a search and rescue mission of two stranded hikers. Officer Harrolle was struck by the helicopter’s rotor blades and fatally injured. Officer Bruce Harrolle, 36 years, is survived by his wife, two young children, and parents.
Brett C. Buckmister, 27 (2000)
Residence: Page
Badge: 5548
End of Watch: March 21, 2000
Officer Buckmister, the youngest DPS officer to lose his life in the line of duty, died from injuries suffered in a traffic collision within the outer city limits of Page. Officer Buckmister, a native of Mesa who had served one year, one month and one day with the Department, was southbound on U.S. 89 when his patrol car and a van collided. Three people in the van also lost their lives in the crash which occurred in rainy/snowy conditions.
Floyd J. “Skip” Fink, 53 (2000)
Residence: Chandler
Badge: 940
End of Watch: February 18, 2000
Officer Fink had just stopped an eastbound motorist on the Superstition Freeway (U.S. 60) near McClintock Drive, Tempe, when his patrol car was struck from behind by a vehicle driven by Robert Stavers, 22, of Mesa. Upon impact, Officer Fink’s patrol car burst into flames, trapping the 28-year DPS veteran officer. Several people tried to rescue the DPS officer, who had not yet removed his seatbelt, from the flaming wreckage, but were unable to do so until they were able to douse the flames with personal extinguishers. The Miami native was pronounced dead about an hour later at the Maricopa County Hospital Burn Unit. Stavers was charged with second-degree murder, endangerment, possession and use of dangerous drugs, possession of marijuana, and leaving the scene of a fatal crash. In December 2000, Stravers pled guilty to a charge of manslaughter. On March 30th, 2001, Stravers was sentenced to 18 years in prison, the maximum allowable under the plea deal reached with Maricopa County prosecutors. Just two weeks short of his 28-year anniversary with the Department, Officer Fink had the most years of service among DPS/AHP officers killed in the line of duty.
Juan N. Cruz, 48 (1998)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 3111
End of Watch: December 9, 1998
Officer Cruz, along with two other DPS officers were blocking the high speed traffic lane of Interstate 10 in Tucson with their patrol vehicles while investigating a prior collision. A westbound vehicle driven by Tucson resident Marissa Rodriguez, 21 struck the rear of Officer Cruz’s vehicle, which was positioned at the far-east end of the collision scene. Officer Cruz was sitting in his vehicle at the time of the collision and received fatal injuries as a result of the crash. Rodriguez was sentenced to 11 years for manslaughter. There was no trial in this case, the family agreed to a plea bargain of 11 years. Rodriguez was released on parole to her parents on 6/22/2009 and completed her parole on 1/21/2011.
Douglas E. Knutson, 43 (1998)
Residence: Scottsdale
Badge: 3818
End of Watch: January 2, 1998
While standing and waiting for a tow truck to remove an abandoned vehicle at the gore point of Scottsdale Road and westbound Loop 202 (Red Mountain Freeway), Motorcycle Officer Knutson suffered multiple injuries when struck from behind by a small pickup truck driven by Brett Baxter, 22, of Tempe. He was taken to Maricopa County Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officer Knutson was the first DPS motorcycle officer to be killed in the line of duty. Baxter was not charged.
Robert K. Martin, 57 (1995)
Residence: Chandler
Badge: 474
End of Watch: August 15, 1995
Officer Martin was shot to death during a traffic stop on the Beeline Highway about seven miles north of Shea Boulevard. With 27 years of service, Officer Martin had the most years of service among DPS, Arizona Highway Patrol officers killed in the line of duty.
His assailant, Ernesto Salgado Martinez, a 19 year old ex-convict from Globe, fled the scene and was captured two days later in California. Martinez was convicted of first degree murder, two counts of theft and two counts of misconduct.
Sgt. Michael L. Crowe, 41 (1995)
Residence: Yuma
Badge: 2729
End of Watch: July 5, 1995
Sgt. Crowe was shot to death along with Yuma Police Department Lt. Dan Elkins after they arrived at the Southwest Border Alliance headquarters building near the Yuma International Airport. The two were members of the SBA task force and had agreed to meet at the building to discuss missing items from the SBA property room. Upon entering the building, they interrupted a burglary in progress and were shot by the intruder. Yuma police arrested Jack Ray Hudson, a Yuma County Sheriff’s Office deputy, as a suspect in the double murder. The deputy was a fellow member of the same narcotics task force and was later convicted of the double murder. On April 30, 1997, Hudson was sentenced to prison for life.
Reserve Sgt. Mark Dryer, 35 (1993)
Residence: Phoenix
Badge: 9764
End of Watch: July 3, 1993
While standing near a motorist he had stopped for speeding 20 miles south of Phoenix on Interstate 10, Sgt. Dryer was struck and killed by a passing car driven by Charles Robert Ransier, 33, of Phoenix. Sgt. Dryer was the first DPS reserve officer to be killed in the line of duty. The motorist, who was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, was sentenced in May 1995 to 15 years in an Arizona state prison. The Department’s Reserve Officer of the Year Award is named in Sgt. Dryer’s honor.
Sgt. David J. Zesiger, 47 (1992)
Residence: Lakeside
Badge: 1848
End of Watch: July 3, 1992
Sgt. Zesiger was leading a family to a campsite near McNary when his fully-marked departmental Chevrolet Blazer was struck head-on by a pickup truck driven by Calvin Dayea, who was found to be driving under the influence. In April 1993, Dayea was sentenced to four years in a federal prison but was released Dec. 21, 1994. Ten days later, Dec. 31, 1994, he was arrested by a DPS officer following a short pursuit on the Navajo Reservation. Dayea was found to be in violation of his parole (drinking alcoholic beverages) and was returned to a federal prison to complete his term.
Sgt. Manuel H. Tapia, 41 (1991)
Residence: Nogales
Badge: 1409
End of Watch: January 8, 1991
Sgt. Tapia was shot at about 7 p.m. Jan. 7, 1991, in Nogales by a drug suspect. He died at about 1 a.m. Jan. 8, 1991, at Tucson Medical Center. The suspect, Noel Gonzales-Bernal of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, was fatally shot by a Nogales police officer. The incident occurred in Nogales, about a mile north of the border, after Tapia and the Nogales police officer stopped the suspect’s Thunderbird. Upon asking the suspect to open the vehicle’s trunk, the suspect fled on foot with Sgt. Tapia chasing him. The suspect then turned and shot Sgt. Tapia. The suspect was then shot. It was later learned that Sgt. Tapia was unarmed, having inadvertently left his weapon in his vehicle.
Sgt. John M. Blaser, 36 (1990)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 2916
End of Watch: August 31, 1990
Sgt. Blaser died after being transported to a Tucson-area hospital. He was the first DPS line supervisor to die in the line of duty. The driver, James B. Sheets, was found guilty July 18, 1991, of manslaughter and reckless endangerment by a Pima County Superior Court jury. In September 1991, a judge ordered Sheets to serve 9-year sentences on each of the two manslaughter counts and three years for reckless endangerment. The sentences were to run consecutively. Sheets died May 21, 1997, at St. Mary’s Hospital of natural causes at the age of 52.
David G. Gabrielli, 43 (1990)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 1231
End of Watch: August 31, 1990
Officer Gabrielli was killed while investigating a previous fatal crash on U.S. 89, just south of Valencia Road in Tucson. Officer Gabrielli, who was standing in the median with Sgt. John M. Blaser, was struck from behind by a car driven by a drunken driver, James B. Sheets. Officer Gabrielli died at the scene.
Johnny E. Garcia, 33 (1989)
Residence: Eloy
Badge: 3572
End of Watch: October 14, 1989
Officer Garcia died while responding to a report of a drunken driver whose car was stuck in a right-of-way fence near the Picacho interchange on Interstate 10. While passing a car on State Route 84 near Casa Grande, Officer Garcia’s patrol car struck loose gravel, rolled three times, hit a car and then a tree.
Ed Rebel, 50 (1988)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 233
End of Watch: June 28, 1988
Officer Rebel, 50, was shot to death while attempting to arrest a suspect driving a stolen car near Marana on Interstate 10. Officer Rebel, despite his mortal wound, was able to fire a volley of shots, killing his assailant, Bruce Beaty, 23, of Houston. Beaty was believed to be part of a stolen car ring.
Bruce A. Petersen, 30 (1987)
Residence: Taylor
Badge: 3536
End of Watch: October 20, 1987
Officer Petersen was in pursuit of a speeding vehicle on State Route 61 near Concho when his patrol vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree.
Richard Stratman, 27 (1983)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 1622
End of Watch: October 2, 1983
Paramedic Stratman was on the same mission as Pilot McNeff in a departmental helicopter during a rainstorm when it crashed in a cotton field near Marana. The DPS aircraft was enroute to Catalina to pick up a pregnant woman and fly her to a Tucson medical facility.
Thomas McNeff, 36 (1983)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 1758
End of Watch: October 2, 1983
Pilot McNeff was flying a DPS helicopter in a rainstorm when it crashed in a cotton field near Marana. The DPS aircraft was en route to Catalina to pick up a pregnant woman and fly her to a Tucson hospital.
William H. Murie, 31 (1980)
Residence: Flagstaff
Badge: 721
End of Watch: November 19, 1980
Officer Murie was en route to Phoenix from Flagstaff on Nov. 16 when he stopped just north of Phoenix on Interstate 17 to assist at a crash scene. He was struck by a passing vehicle, crushing his legs and a wrist. Complications resulting from these injuries led to his death on Nov. 19, 1980.
John C. Walker, 46 (1979)
Residence: Tucson
Badge: 150
End of Watch: November 30, 1979
Officer Walker was shot and killed while working an undercover cocaine case. He was sitting in his car at Tucson International Airport when he was shot. The assailant, Genaro Celaya, 28, of Ajo, was captured a short time later with Walker’s flash roll in his possession. Celaya is serving a life sentence in an Arizona prison.
Noah M. (Mack) Merrill, 33 (1978)
Residence: Benson
Badge: 695
End of Watch: December 11, 1978
During a traffic stop on Interstate 10, eight miles east of Benson, Officer Merrill was struck by a passing tractor-trailer.
Gregory A. Diley, 28 (1977)
Residence: Kingman
Badge: 1442
End of Watch: December 2, 1977
Officer Diley, 28, was returning to Kingman following a narcotics investigation when he was killed in a one-vehicle crash west of Kingman on Interstate 40. The death of Officer Diley, who was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Bureau at DPS, was the first outside the Highway Patrol Bureau.
Alan H. Hansen, 34 (1973)
Residence: Kingman
Badge: 204
End of Watch: July 19, 1973
Officer Hansen was killed in Kingman when a railroad tanker loaded with butane exploded. In all, 13 people were killed and 112 were injured in the afternoon explosion.
Don A. Beckstead, 28 (1971)
Residence: Houck
Badge: 409
End of Watch: Febraury 7, 1971
A few minutes after shooting Officer Keeton, Greenberg shot Officer Beckstead during another traffic stop. It is believed that Officer Beckstead was not aware of the shooting involving Keeton. Officer Beckstead died two days later in a Gallup, N.M., hospital. After shooting the two DPS officers, Greenberg kidnapped and killed another person during the chase before New Mexico authorities shot and killed him.
James L. Keeton, 27 (1971)
Residence: Navajo
Badge: 310
End of Watch: February 5, 1971
Officer Keeton was shot to death with his own weapon by Bertram Greenberg, a suspect in the rape and murder of a 13-year-old California girl. Keeton, who lost his pistol during a skirmish with Greenberg, was shot after stopping Greenberg for a traffic violation on Interstate 40, 12 miles west of the New Mexico state line.
Gilbert A. (Gib) Duthie, 39 (1970)
Residence: Mesa
Badge: 143
End of Watch: September 5, 1970
Officer Duthie drowned when his cruiser was washed away by flood waters when Sycamore Creek, near Sunflower, Arizona, overflowed. Officer Duthie was responding to assist stranded citizens due to flooding. He was driving on the Beeline Highway and did not see that a portion of the bridge had been washed out. His patrol car left the roadway, went into the creek, and was washed away.
Paul E. Marston, 31 (1969)
Residence: Prescott
Badge: 138
End of Watch: June 9, 1969
Patrolman Marston was shot and killed by prison escapee Danny Lee Eckard during a gun battle on a farm in Chino Valley. Eckard, nicknamed the Desert Fox by the Arizona media for his ability to escape and survive in the desert, was then fatally shot by Patrolman Ron Mayes who was riding with Marston.
Louis O. Cochran, 45 (1958)
Residence: Yuma
Badge: 59
End of Watch: December 22, 1958
Patrolman Cochran was killed while stopped along U.S. 80 at milepost 71 east of Dateland. His patrol car was struck from behind by a vehicle whose driver was under the influence, causing the patrol car to burst into flames. It was the first death in the 25-year history of the Arizona Highway Patrol.