Blue Light Ceremony honoring fallen officers in Palm Springs tonight
The Coachella Valley Blue Light ceremony, which pays tribute to Riverside County law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty, was hosted at the Palm Springs Convention Center Monday night, the first of three upcoming county events honoring fallen police officers.
The ceremony recognized the sacrifices of the 64 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in Riverside County since 1895.
Patsy Lee is fallen hero, Deputy Bruce Lee’s wife. Deputy Lee died in 2003 and Patsy says it’s difficult to talk about the tragedy during the holidays, but the Blue Light ceremony brings her peace.
“All the different departments, they always talk about law enforcement being a family and they do, it doesn’t matter if its CHP or a different police department, they’re all really good to the surviving family members, so it’s nice they keep doing this and remembering our loved ones,” said Lee.
The annual event was hosted by the Palm Springs Police Department, and is even more personal for Palm Springs police, with two of their own, Officers Jose Gilbert Vega and Lesley Zerebny, the latest to pay the ultimate sacrifice.
“Everybody at our agency lived that tragedy. We know the sacrifice that actually took place and we lived it. We understand the importance of such an event,” said Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes.
PSPD Chief reflects on the deaths of Officers Zerebny & Vega
Cathedral City police also will pay tribute to two of their fallen officers in a separate ceremony on Saturday, during which the department will unveil a new police memorial at the Cathedral City Civic Center.
Thousands attend memorial service for fallen Palm Springs police officers
The memorial will bear the names of Officer Jermaine Gibson, killed on March 19, 2011, when his patrol car crashed into a tree during a high-speed suspect pursuit, and Officer David Vasquez, struck by a vehicle on Oct. 28, 1998, while assisting at the scene of a crash at the intersection of Date Palm Drive and 35th Avenue.
Elsewhere in the county, a Blue Light ceremony will be held for Western Riverside County agencies on Dec. 17 at the Board of Supervisor Chambers in downtown Riverside.
Local businesses remember PSPD Officers Vega and Zerebny
Organizers say the ceremonies are “a time to celebrate the lives of the 64 officers who were taken from us, and a time to show support for the families they left behind. The blue light is symbolic of our remembrance of those officers who died, but also honors the officers who continue to work today.”
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
