A Los Angeles Police Department patrol officer died Saturday morning after an off-duty car crash that occurred Thursday in Santa Clarita, according to the department’s media relations.
Kathleen “Kat” Talbot worked for the Rampart division covering much of the downtown L.A. area, Chief Charlie Beck tweeted.
“It is with heavy hearts and tears in our eyes that we share the sad news that one of #LAPD Rampart Division’s finest has passed away. Police Officer III, K. Talbot #31941 was an amazing officer and friend, and she will be sorely missed,” the division’s Facebook stated around 12:30 p.m.
Talbot was on her way to work early Thursday morning when her vehicle crashed into a light pole , officials said. She had been assigned to cover a command post for President Barack Obama’s visit to Los Angeles.
In a phone interview, Los Angeles police Capt. Brian Pratt said officers like Pratt are “in many ways irreplaceable because you lose that bedrock of 16, 18 years of street experience, community experience and ability to teach young police officers how to be police officers.”
As Talbot’s body was being transported to the coroner’s office in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles County firefighters stood on a fire truck that was parked on an overpass in Santa Clarita and saluted as the memorial procession passed on the freeway below.
LAPD officers and cadets paid a similar tribute to Talbot as the motorcade drove past police headquarters in downtown.
Five L.A. police officer have died as a result of traffic collisions in 2014; a sixth officer died of a heart attack.
KTLA’s John A. Moreno contributed to this report.