Officer William M. Chansler, 32, was off duty, but responded when a call came that an aimed suspect had shot a waitress and was holding hostages in a Yreka restaurant. When Chansler arrived he ordered the suspect to drop his weapon. Instead, the felon swung the barrel of his rifle toward the patrolman and fired three shots. Chansler fell mortally wounded but returned fire and killed his assailant with one shot. He had been a CHP officer for five years and had only recently transferred to Yreka from Ventura. Chansler was posthumously presented with a Certificate of Valor for heroism by Governor Goodwin J. Knight on October 15, 1954. Officer Chansler’s daughter, Judy, worked as a CHP Dispatcher for several years and his grandson is CHP Officer Aaron York (14685) who is currently assigned to the San Francisco Area office.

On March 17, 1954, at 9:40 p.m., 43 year old Louis Dulisse was riding as a Reserve Officer with Sgt. H. D. Williams – one of 35 sworn members of the department. The partners were sent to the Casa Blanca Hotel where two suspects were committing a robbery while a third waited in the getaway car. Williams entered the hotel leaving Dulisse to wait for backups. When additional officers arrived, Dulisse twice gave up his cover to warn them and to help Williams who had been taken hostage. The suspect who had Williams, began firing at Dulisse who could not return fire for fear he would hit his partner. Officer Dulisse was killed at the scene. The suspects were all taken into custody.

Officer Francis Rea died January 3, 1954. He was shot in the head during a running gun battle.