Officer John T. Lawler died on Monday, July 9, 1973, when he was involved in a motorcycle traffic accident. He was a member of the Los Angeles Police Department’s South Traffic Division.

Achieving his goal of becoming a Motorcycle Officer in March of 1970, Ofc. Charles Christopher Caraccilo served in the San Fernando Valley area for a little over three years. Today, police officers across the country take their ballistic vests for granted. In 1973, the wearing of ballistic vests was almost unheard of. Ample daylight was still present, at 7:30 p.m. on June 21, 1973, when Caraccilo made a routine stop of a motorist and approached with the intent to warn or cite for a traffic violation. As Caraccilo approached, the driver of the stopped vehicle fired a single gunshot, which struck him in his heart. Charles Caraccilo died on the streets of the city he had served with distinction for 14 years.

Caraccilo was born on February 6, 1938, in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents brought him to California in 1943, where he was reared in the Hollywood and West Los Angeles areas. Graduating from San Fernando High School in 1957, he briefly attended Valley Junior College. Prior to his acceptance by the Los Angeles Police Department, Caraccilo worked as a machinist and enlisted in the California National Guard where he advanced to the rank of Staff Sergeant with the 132nd Armored – Combat Engineer Battalion.

On May 4, 1959, Caraccilo was appointed as a Policeman for the City of Los Angeles. After probation in the L.A. downtown Central Area, he served in the West L.A., Hollywood and Foothill areas. While in the Valley Area of Los Angeles, he developed his talents as a traffic enforcement officer, hoping one day to become a Motorcycle Officer.

Away from the Department, from his first marriage Caraccilo was a father to a daughter, Gina; and son, Jon. From his second marriage to Aileen, he was raising three more children – two daughters, Romi and Reiko; and a son, Rikio.

Sergeant Rutledge was born in Oakland, California. He attended local schools and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1942. He later attended both the City College of San Francisco and the University of California at Berkeley.

Sergeant Rutledge enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and was honorably discharged in 1948 at the rank of Radioman 1st Class. He was later recalled to active duty during the Korean War and served overseas from 1951 to 1952.

Sergeant Rutledge was appointed to the department as a Patrolman-Clerk on 11-16-50 and assigned badge #94. On December 1, 1972 he was promoted to the Rank of Sergeant and assigned Badge #S-15.

During his tenure with the Berkeley Police Department, Sergeant Rutledge held positions in Patrol Division, Service Division, the Patrol Special Detail and Juvenile Bureau. In addition he was also a department Range Master.

Sergeant Rutledge was involved in several youth programs, including Sea Scouts. After his death the local Boy Scout Council named a Sea Scout Vessel the “Jimmie Rutledge” in his honor.

FACTS:
At 5:23 a.m., 6-16-73, Officers were dispatched to to the 2200 block of Russell Street on a report of a prowler. Initially officers were not able to locate the prowler and Sergeant Rutledge remained in the area to watch for the suspect.

Sergeant Rutledge subsequently contacted an individual and attempted an arrest on his own. The subject, later found to be a ex-felon, resisted handcuffing and a struggle ensued.

During the fight, the suspect gained control of Sergeant Rutledge’s gun and shot the officer, fatally wounding him. The suspect also wounded a neighbor who had come to render assistance to Sergeant Rutledge.

Following the shooting, the suspect forced his way into a acquaintance’s home and took several hostages. At the conclusion of the stand-off, the suspect killed one of the hostages, a 4-year old girl. The suspect then chased the remaining hostages from the house with gun in hand and was killed by police.

Officer Rutledge is buried in Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California.

Officer Robert Blan was on patrol in West Oakland during the early morning hours of May 23, 1973. At 2:35 a.m. he conducted a car stop and called for a cover unit.

Before the arrival of his cover, Blan found himself engaged in a struggle with the occupant of the car during which Blan’s revolver was taken from him. When Sgt. Frank Mellott and Officer David McGill arrived at the scene of the car stop, they found Blan’s police car, but couldn’t find him. A search of the area was conducted, and Blan was found a half a block away in a vacant lot. He was lying face down and appeared to have been shot three times. An ambulance was called and Blan was transported to Kaiser Hospital, but he never regained consciousness.

When Mellott and McGill returned to Blan’s patrol car, they were given a description of the suspect vehicle, which suddenly returned to the scene. They signaled the vehicle to stop, and the driver complied. As the two officers approached the vehicle, the driver gunned the engine and attempted to run them down. They fired on the car. The driver was hit and lost control of the car. The vehicle crashed and the occupants were taken into custody. Blan’s revolver was found in the vehicle; three rounds had been expended.

Blan, 26, had been a member of Oakland Police Department for 2 years. He was survived by his wife and two children.

OFFICER LEO VOLK (Modesto PD) In the early hours of May 21, 1973, Officer Leo “Bobby” Volk, a three-year veteran of the Modesto Police Department, began pursuing a fugitive vehicle. As Volk accelerated westbound on Yosemite Boulevard in pursuit, a car turning from North Conejo Avenue pulled out in front of him. Volk, in an attempt to avoid a collision,,swerved to the left. The right front tire of his patrol car deflated, causing him to lose control. The patrol car skidded south across Yosemite Boulevard into a construction site where it hit a large concrete block. The force of the collision was so severe that the car was thrown into reverse, causing it to accelerate 130 feet backwards before hitting a light pole and coming to rest. The driver of the vehicle Volk was chasing looked back at the battered patrol car, then sped away.

Volk was pinned in the wreckage for 40 minutes before rescue crews could remove him and rush him to the hospital. During that time he regained consciousness but was only able to say “chasing . . . orange GTO”. The driver of the car was never found, and the crime he committed to cause Volk to pursue him remains unknown.

At 7:30 a.m. on May 21, 1973, Officer Leo Robert Volk Jr. died from injuries sustained in the wreck, leaving his wife and toddler son behind. He gained the unfortunate distinction of being the first officer to die in the line of duty in the history of the Modesto Police Department. His badge was retired from service.

Officer William P. Sniffen was pursuing a speeding motorist on the Nimitz Freeway when the vehicle rear-ended another car that was stopped for a previous collision and then burst into flames. Sniffen lost control and his motorcycle was thrown under the burning vehicle, killing the 31-year-old patrol officer almost instantly. Officer Sniffen was a seven-year member of the CHP and had served previously in San Leandro and Oakland.

Officer Larry L. Wetterling was fatally shot by a motorist he stopped in San Bernardino for suspected drunk driving. After shooting Wetterling. the motorist stole the patrol officer’s car, but rolled over as he raced away. He later killed two other people before he was captured. Officer Wetterling, 30, had been a member of the Patrol for six years and transferred to San Bernardino from Riverside.

Deputy Al E. Stewart of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department had responded to the Cajon Pass to assist CHP Officer Wetterling. As Stewart was searching for this murder suspect, Stewart himself was shot and killed by the same suspect who killed Wetterling.