Officers Walter C. Frago and Roger D. Gore had been alerted by radio of a vehicle carrying someone who had brandished a weapon. They spotted the car, fell in behind, called for backup, and began the enforcement stop procedure. When the subject’s vehicle had come to a halt in a parking lot, the driver was instructed to get out and place his spread hands on the hood. Gore approached him and Frago moved to the passenger side. The right-side door suddenly swung open and the passenger sprung out, firing at Frago, who fell with two shots in his chest The gunman, later identified as Jack Twinning, then turned and fired once at Gore, who returned fire. In that moment the driver, Bobby Davis, turned and shot Gore twice at close range. Both officers died instantly: both were 23 years old.

When Officers James E. Pence, Jr. and George M. Alleyn drove in moments later, they could see neither suspects nor downed officers but immediately came under fire. Pence put out an 11-99 call (“officer needs help”) then took cover behind the passenger door. Alleyn grabbed the shotgun and positioned himself behind the driver-side door. Both officers were mortally wounded in the ensuing exchange and died. Each was 24 years old.

One suspect was hit, but both escaped. They later abandoned their vehicle and split up. Officers blanketed the area for nine hours. Twinning broke into a house and briefly held a man hostage. Officers used tear gas before storming the house, but the suspect killed himself using the shotgun he had stolen from Officer Frago. Davis was captured, stood trial and convicted on four counts of murder. He is now serving a life sentence in a California maximum security prison.

The words Newhall and tragedy became forever synonymous on April 6, 1970. On that day four young California Highway Patrol Officers-all had been on the job less than two years-lost their lives in a four minute gun battle. Sympathy, concern and interest were expressed from President Richard Nixon in the White House to Governor Ronald Reagan at the State Capitol. Calls and telegrams were received from federal, state and city police agencies throughout the United States.

In the weeks immediately after the four deaths, the emotionally charged follow-up investigation sometimes lingered on fault-finding, but ultimately achieved the desired catharsis – a completely revamped set of procedures to be followed during high-risk and felony stops, with emphasis at every Step on officer safety. If there can be such a thing as a silver lining in a cloud this dark, it would be renewed focus on officer safety – not just with the CHP but with allied police agencies the world over.

Firearms procedures have changed fundamentally; physical methods of arrest have been perfected; the police baton has become a more integral element of enforcement tactics; and new protective tools have become part of the officer’s standard equipment. Along with these have become far more comprehensive training – all combining to make uniformed personnel more alert and better prepared for the inevitable danger faced by CHP officers.

Officers Walter C. Frago and Roger D. Gore had been alerted by radio of a vehicle carrying someone who had brandished a weapon. They spotted the car, fell in behind, called for backup, and began the enforcement stop procedure. When the subject’s vehicle had come to a halt in a parking lot, the driver was instructed to get out and place his spread hands on the hood. Gore approached him and Frago moved to the passenger side. The right-side door suddenly swung open and the passenger sprung out, firing at Frago, who fell with two shots in his chest The gunman, later identified as Jack Twinning, then turned and fired once at Gore, who returned fire. In that moment the driver, Bobby Davis, turned and shot Gore twice at close range. Both officers died instantly: both were 23 years old.

When Officers James E. Pence, Jr. and George M. Alleyn drove in moments later, they could see neither suspects nor downed officers but immediately came under fire. Pence put out an 11-99 call (“officer needs help”) then took cover behind the passenger door. Alleyn grabbed the shotgun and positioned himself behind the driver-side door. Both officers were mortally wounded in the ensuing exchange and died. Each was 24 years old.

One suspect was hit, but both escaped. They later abandoned their vehicle and split up. Officers blanketed the area for nine hours. Twinning broke into a house and briefly held a man hostage. Officers used tear gas before storming the house, but the suspect killed himself using the shotgun he had stolen from Officer Frago. Davis was captured, stood trial and convicted on four counts of murder. He is now serving a life sentence in a California maximum security prison.

The words Newhall and tragedy became forever synonymous on April 6, 1970. On that day four young California Highway Patrol Officers-all had been on the job less than two years-lost their lives in a four minute gun battle. Sympathy, concern and interest were expressed from President Richard Nixon in the White House to Governor Ronald Reagan at the State Capitol. Calls and telegrams were received from federal, state and city police agencies throughout the United States.

In the weeks immediately after the four deaths, the emotionally charged follow-up investigation sometimes lingered on fault-finding, but ultimately achieved the desired catharsis – a completely revamped set of procedures to be followed during high-risk and felony stops, with emphasis at every Step on officer safety. If there can be such a thing as a silver lining in a cloud this dark, it would be renewed focus on officer safety – not just with the CHP but with allied police agencies the world over.

Firearms procedures have changed fundamentally; physical methods of arrest have been perfected; the police baton has become a more integral element of enforcement tactics; and new protective tools have become part of the officer’s standard equipment. Along with these have become far more comprehensive training – all combining to make uniformed personnel more alert and better prepared for the inevitable danger faced by CHP officers.

Officer Raymond R. Carpenter was shot and killed by a 20-year-old motorist he stopped on Interstate 80. The car the young man was driving proved to be stolen. Later, as officers closed in to capture Carpenter’s killer, the suspect committed suicide. The 40-year-old patrol officer was a native of the Auburn area where had been assigned for 13 years. Prior to joining the CHP in 1956, Officer Carpenter had spent nine years in the U.S. Air Force.

Officer William R. Court was in pursuit of a traffic violator when his patrol unit skidded on a rain-slicked pavement and he lost control. Court’s patrol car left the roadway, turned at an angle and traveled over 175 feet, before striking a cement bridge abutment. The 33-year-old patrolman was killed almost instantly. Court had been a member of the CHP since 1965 and served previously in the San Leandro Area office before transferring to Modesto in 1967. When Officer Court died, a feature article appeared in the Turlock Daily Journal which is excerpted below:

“When he was just out of the Academy. Bob Court slid down a steep embankment to aid a couple who’d gone over a cliff in their car. it was a bitterly cold night. Frost on the roadway. Ice on the ground. Officer Court was the first to take off his duty jacket and cover a victim. It took four hours to bring the injured out, but Officer court stayed with the job until it was done… There was another incident… He kept a young woman alive for more than an hour until a doctor came. She’d smashed up her car. Cut her throat. There was room in the wrecked car for only one person. Tall, slender Bob Court crawled in. He held the woman’s chin up. The air sucked in and out of her cut wind-pipe. She bled, but she breathed. And she lives today.”

Responded to a bank robbery in progress in Hughson. Deputy Dickens engaged the suspects in a gun battle. During the gun battle, one of the suspects got around behind Dickens and shot him in the back, killing him.

(Horace) Thomas Guerry was born on September 2, 1941, in Compton, California, where he and his family lived until his graduation from high school. Following graduation, he completed a year of police science courses at Fullerton Junior College and worked as a recreation counselor. The family moved to Santa Barbara in 1960.

Tom then earned an associate of arts degree from Santa Barbara City College. On October 1, 1962, Tom began his career as a police officer in the Patrol Division after attending the Riverside Police Academy. In the following eight years, Tom and Jane had two daughters, Sandra and Diane. Tom was a devoted husband and father. He was happy and successful in his career as a Santa Barbara police officer. His hobbies included cabinet making, in his spare time.

Tom loved being a police officer, became a seasoned veteran patrolman and was then appointed as a detective on September 1, 1968, working mainly burglary cases. Tom was actively involved in the Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and served as the President of that organization for several years.

Tom was also active in PORAC and was instrumental in the establishment of other PORAC chapters on the South Coast. He was well liked and respected by his peers and supervisors alike. He fought hard as the PBA President to improve the working conditions for the rank and file within the police department. He was a complete professional who also cared for the people around him.

Tom was tall, husky and handsome. He had an award winning smile, the gentle caring disposition of a lamb, the tenacity and fierceness of a lion, and the determination and stubbornness of a mule. He was your partner in the patrol car, your back-up on a call, the guy you passed each work day in the hallway or with whom you shared lunch. He was a husband and a father. He was the same guy you laughed with, cried with, lived with and would have died with. You would have been proud to have known this extraordinary ordinary man and would have been honored to have him call you “friend.”

He was 28 years old when he was shot and killed in the line of duty on January 13, 1970, at 5:30 p.m.

On the evening of January 13, 1970, a trio of felons had crossed the United States from Baltimore, Maryland, robbing and beating victims as they made their way west. Two of these men were brothers, Bruce and Franklin Bowersox. Aside from the robberies they committed, they had failed in two other attempts to kill a man in New Mexico and another, a parking lot attendant in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles man was spared from death in a parking garage when Bruce Bowersox’s gun misfired.

When the trio arrived in Santa Barbara on January 12, 1970, an associate of the Bowersox brothers turned himself in to a California Highway Patrol Officer confessing of a robbery plan in the city. The CHP notified the Santa Barbara Police Department. Detective Tom Guerry and his partner were given the assignment to check out the information and take whatever action they felt necessary.

While driving on Chapala Street, the detectives noticed the two wanted men walking in the area of Ortega Street and Bradbury Avenue. As they approached the intersection the Bowersox brothers, split apart from one another and began to walk back to each side of the front of the police vehicle. As the detectives stepped from their vehicle, the Bowersox brothers opened fire with handguns, fatally wounding Detective Guerry. His partner returned fire and wounded Bruce Bowersox in the shoulder.

Frank Bowersox was arrested at the scene. Bruce Bowersox fled, but was soon captured.

Franklin Bowersox received life in prison. Bruce Bowersox, at age 32, was sentenced to the gas chamber in San Quentin Prison for the slaying of Detective Guerry. In 1972, California declared the death penalty unconstitutional and Bruce Bowersox’ sentence (along with a host of others on “death row”), was automatically changed to life in prison where he remained until his death in 1992.

The death of Tom Guerry ripped through the heart of Santa Barbara, as well as the entire region. In memory of Tom, the Santa Barbara Citizens Council on Crime established the H. Thomas Guerry award. Each year, law enforcement officers from agencies in the County of Santa Barbara are honored for valor, skill in conflict resolution and outstanding overall performance. The Guerry award continues to be the most coveted and respected award an officer or deputy can receive in the county and each year the members of the Guerry family, without fail, attend the ceremonies. It is through the Guerry Awards that the memory of Tom can be kept alive and his legacy of courage and dedication honored.