Christy Lynn Hamilton, LAPD, One of my Inspirations

[elzregina]

Ofc. Christy Lynne Hamilton
Los Angeles Police Department

Thousands of peace officers and friends gathered at the funeral for rookie Officer Christy Lynne Hamilton - less to mourn her death than to celebrate her as a woman whose refusal to let go of her dream inspired them as well. 

Hamilton's dream of becoming a Los Angeles police officer had cost her her life at the age 45.

Hamilton became the second female Los Angeles police officer to die in the line of duty when she was shot to death February 22, 1994, after four weeks on the force. She had graduated from the Police Academy just four days before she died, in a quake delayed ceremony (the graduation ceremony was delayed almost a month as they were to graduate the day of the earthquake. Rather, they were all cut lose to go out and work), with an award as the most inspirational cadet in her class.

"Some of you are experiencing guilt for what happened to Christy," said Sgt. Ron Moen, a Los Angeles Police Department chaplain. "But this was her lifelong dream, and nothing any of you could have done would have discouraged her from pursuing that dream... Christy would have wanted to die doing what she loved most: being a police officer in the field."

As family members and colleagues smiled at speakers' tales of her foibles, her sense of humor and her passion for the job and brushed away tears at reminders of her lost potential and her sudden death. 

After the memorial service, Hamilton's father Kenneth Brondell said his daughter's first career as a mother of two children, now grown, would have made her a cop with a unique sense of compassion. "She would have worn her badge without arrogance. She didn't want a badge to have authority; she wanted to go out and help people," Brondell said. 

Moen remembered the time Hamilton spent a few hours with two toddlers left homeless after she arrested their parents. "Inside of her was a heart so big I'm surprised her body was able to keep it all," the chaplain told the mourners. 

Chief Willie L. Williams, Governor Pete Wilson and more than 1,500 police officers from as far away as Oklahoma City attended services at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley and later at Forest Lawn Mortuary. "It's a tragedy that we're here," said Williams, visibly moved by the ceremonies. "Five officers killed in the line of duty in the 20 months I've been here. It's a tragedy and a shame."

Hamilton died when she was struck by a bullet fired by a 17-year-old Northridge youth who killed his father, then ambushed arriving police officers. Hamilton was hit by one bullet through the armhole of her bullet-resistant vest.

Hamilton had refused to let her age keep her from completing the rigorous Police Academy training. Knowing she would have to show she could scale a six- foot wall to graduate, she built one in her back yard in Thousand Oaks home and made one bruising practice run after another.

"Your maturity and desire were unspoken inspirations that we drew from as a class," Linda Thompson, drill instructor for Hamilton's academy class, said. "You taught us all to keep our dreams alive." 

Kelley Steven, 24, Hamilton's daughter, recalled when Hamilton first said she wanted to become a police officer, after the LAPD's age ceiling was lifted. She asked me if she was crazy,” Steven said. "I thought she didn't have a chance. But if you tell my mom she's incapable of anything, she will prove you wrong."

"Mom, you lived and died a hero," Steven said. "We all love you. And we will miss you."

Hamilton is also survived by a son, William Steven, 20, and her husband, Steve Hamilton, a Los Angeles firefighter.

Family, friends and colleagues filed past Hamilton's gold-hued casket, where she lay in her blue dress uniform, a single rose resting atop clasped hands.

"The Los Angeles Police Department will never know the type of officer it lost this morning," Chief Williams said Hamilton's father had told him. "Only her family will know."

Christy Lynne Hamilton
Date of Birth: July 25, 1948
Date Appointed: July 12 1993
End of Watch: February 22, 1994

I will tell you that there were THOUSANDS of people at her funeral...1500 fit in the church, there were equally more outside.  It was a full week before she was buried as permission from the State and Federal governments had to be received to shut down the highways to allow for the procession.  There were hundreds of motorcycle police officers leading the way and the procession was estimated to be 7 miles long.   Being that our family has a tradition of Fire Service (and her soon to be ex husband was a firefighter), fire apparatus of every kind closed the intersections and lined the roads.  Every on ramp and off ramp of the local freeways was closed...and what amazed and moved me most was to see all those people, waiting patiently in or outside their cars.  I saw many weeping and almost all those outside their cars standing at attention.  Many traveling the opposite direction had pulled over to the shoulder, and exited their cars to stand at attention.  Closer to the cemetery, the state road workers stood silently, hard hats removed as the procession passed.  It took some time to get us all into the cemetery...thousands lining the road and every conceivable open area.  It was a fully traditional LODD Funeral...the riderless horse with the backwards boots, a flyover, the piper playing Amazing Grace back under the trees, the 21 gun salute...her female classmates carried her casket and they struggled albeit only because they were so emotionally overwrought...and afterwards each classmate placed a single rose on her coffin as they filed by.  

I was also never more proud of my family.  Within 24 hours of her death, 12 of my cousins, aunts and uncles piled into my Uncle Pete's RV and drove to California.  Another cousin in L.A., had an e mpty rental property and quickly cleaned it out, and had beds and a few other pieces of furniture put in it...so between the RV and the rental home, everyone was fairly comfortable. This was also the house that we gathered at during the day...walking around the neighborhood picking oranges and lemons off the trees while we waited for all the arrangements.  I flew out with Eboy who was then only 6 months old and he was loved on and passed around...a great distraction for all.  When it was all said and done and time for everyone to leave...it was an amazing gathering of 30 or more folks on the front lawn of the house, in a circle, holding hands, or hugging while the patriarch of the family, Uncle John spoke first in memory and then led the family in the Lord's Prayer.  

Christy's name is on the Fallen Officer Memorial in Washington D.C.  I have many items and articles I have saved.  I think it's about time I make that memory box for display.

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

She does continue to inspire.

Life and loss in such a public venue is hard beyond the terrible fact of the loss itself.
I am sad for your loss, but appreciative of her example, which might not have been so public if it had not been forced into the public awareness so shockingly.

Hugs.