WEST SACRAMENTO – On May 3, 2022, the California Highway Patrol held its annual Badges of Honor ceremony which recognizes, remembers and honors the hundreds of CHP officers who have been killed in the line of duty since the CHP’s existence.
Every May, the CHP adds to its memorial, the names of those officers who sacrificed their lives for the safety of others in the previous year. The CHP did not hold its annual memorial during the pandemic. Honored during the 2022 ceremony were Sgt. Steven Lawrence Licon (EOW 4-6-2019), Officer Andre Maurice Moye Jr. (EOW 8-12-2019), and Officer Andy Ornelas (EOW 12-2-2020).
During the Badges of Honor ceremony, the names of each of the CHP officers killed are read aloud, along with their division and their end of watch. A memorial bell is rung seven times for the seven points on the CHP badge representing character, integrity, judgment, loyalty, courtesy, honor and knowledge.
A wreath is placed at the CHP memorial fountain where the names of each officer killed in the line of duty is displayed. The families of officers killed in 2021 had an opportunity to see their loved one’s name and place flowers at the site. Each family was escorted to the fountain by one or more CHP officers who also sat beside them throughout the ceremony.
Shawna Tanton & Victor Tovar
Jim Vitko, Cesar Bustos, Jason Johnson
Attending for the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) were Senior Counsels Andrea Perez and Jim Vitko. CHP-Public Safety Dispatchers Association (CHP-PSDA) Vice President Victor Tovar was in attendance, as was Association of Motor Carrier Operation Specialists (AMCOS) President Cesar Bustos and AMCOS Board Member Jason Johnson.
As the ceremony came to a close, CSLEA and CHP-PSDA member Shawna Tanton sang “Amazing Grace” for family members, dignitaries, CHP officers and cadets and other invited guests.
