PSPD honoring fallen officers in memorial ceremony
The Palm Springs Police Department, in partnership with the Palm Springs Police Officers Association, held a public ceremony Wednesday afternoon to honor the department’s fallen officers.
The ceremony was a part of National Peace Officers Memorial Day.
“We honor their memories and we honor their courage,”said one PSPD officer who spoke at the ceremony.
Since PSPD was first founded in 1937, four officers have been killed in the line of duty.
Officer Gale Gene Eldridge (EOW – Jan. 1961) Eldridge was shot and killed on January 18, 1961, during an armed robbery. He was 32 years old at the time of the death and is survived by his wife and three children.
Officer Lyle Wayne Larrabee (EOW – Jan. 1962) Larrabee, 26, was killed in a crash on January 1, 1962 while in pursuit of a suspect. He had been at PSPD for a year at the time of his death. A Marine Corps Veteran, he is survived by his wife and mother.
Officer Jose “Gil” Vega and Officer Lesley Zerebny (EOW – Oct. 2016) Zerebny and Vega were gunned down while responding to a domestic disturbance call on Oct. 8, 2016. Vega, 63, served with the Palm Springs Police Department for 37 years, five years past his retirement eligibility, and had planned to retire just two months before his murder. He was training Zerebny, 27, who had been with the department for a year and a half and had just returned to duty from maternity leave after the birth of a daughter, Cora, four months earlier. Vega is survived by his wife and eight children. Zerebny is survived by her husband, who also serves in law enforcement and 4-month-old child.
“We need to take care of these families,” said Dr. Matt Zerebny, Officer Zerebny’s father-in-law, in regards to families who’ve lost law enforcement officers in the line of duty.
Dr. Zerebny is co-authoring a bill to increase federal compensation and expedite the process in which families receive benefits. He says some families have had to wait up to 10 years for federal support.
“It’s having resources for these families to be able to pick up the pieces of whatever is left of their shattered lives and move forward,” Dr. Zerebny said.
While that bill makes it through the legislative process, Dr. Zerebny says Peace Officer Memorial Day is a bitter-sweet time for him and his family. “It’s hard. It’s hard for our family, but the support that we have is priceless for us.”
It’s a feeling Officer Vega’s daughters say they can understand first-hand.
“We gather and we see the community support and it’s an incredible feeling, but it’s heartbreaking to see her (Vega’s youngest daughter) and everyone telling us how big she is and he’s not here to see that,” said Andrea Murray, Vega’s step daughter.
“He’s been the person that I’ve been closest to, so losing him was really hard,” said Vanessa Vega, Officer Vega’s youngest daughter.
