PSPD escorts daughter of fallen Officer Gil Vega to school

Another school year has started in the valley, and along with it, a tradition that the law enforcement has continued for the past several years; on Wednesday, PSPD officers provided an escort t school for Vanessa Vega, the daughter of fallen Officer Jose Gil Vega.

“Today, The Palm Springs Police Department had the distinct honor of escorting Vanessa Vega to her first day of school,” read a post from PSPD’s Facebook page. “Although their watch ended, ours continues. They have and always will be family.”

Officer Vega and his partner, Lesley Zerebny, were fatally shot in the line of duty on October 8, 2016. In May, John Hernadez Felix was found guilty of the officers’ murders. (You can find our full trial coverage here.)

This tradition is an annual one, and in the Department’s post, Vega’s daughter, Vanessa, is thanked for ‘putting up’ with her father’s fellow officers.

“Being a part of the family has certain responsibilities. For example, her PSPD Aunts and Uncles who walked her into school this morning made sure we tried as hard as possible to embarrass her on her first day of 7th grade. We know these moments can never replace those that would have been shared by Gil but we hope to help as much as possible.”

Watch as officers escort Vanessa to her first day of school last year:

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