The surviving families of two police officers who were killed in the line of duty decades ago were honored with a presentation of the San Diego Police Department’s Police Cross on Wednesday.
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The ceremony, organized by the department and the San Diego Police Historical Association, honored the memories of Patrolman Robert Lee Powers and Officer Robert Bowers, who died in 1928 and 1955, respectively.
For the last decade, the department has been giving the Police Cross to families of fallen officers in San Diego. There have been 37 San Diego police officers killed in the line of duty since the department began tracking officer deaths in 1913.
“This is an important moment for all of us,” Police Chief Scott Wahl said during the ceremony at police headquarters. “(We always want) to remember the men and women who have served our great city and put their lives on the line, and even more so those who died in the line of duty.”
Powers joined the force in 1925, and three years later, was selected to the department’s prestigious motorcycle patrol. Later that year, he was struck in a head-on vehicle collision by a drunken driver who was on the wrong side of the road.
Powers, 30, left behind a wife, young daughter and unborn child.
Bowers, an Air Force veteran and San Diego State College alumnus, joined the department in 1950. Five years later, he joined a pursuit heading through a North Park neighborhood, and his cruiser crashed into another vehicle at an intersection.
Officials said at the time that if Bowers had been wearing a seat belt — which would become standard issue in patrol cars a week later — he may have survived the crash. The 33-year-old left behind a wife and young daughter.
Wahl said that despite the time that had already passed, it was important for the department to continue to honor and memorialize their fallen officers, out of respect for their families, as well as current officers.
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“It’s important to send the message to all the men and women who are serving today, keeping us safe, that if something were to happen, and they were to lose their lives, that we will never forget their sacrifice,” he said.
Wahl then knelt before the families and presented them with a folded flag and the medal that had been brought to the front of the room by the department’s honor guard.
Following the ceremony, Powers’ great-granddaughter, Wendy Contreras, and his great-great-granddaughter, Jordan Contreras, said they had never met the man, but his career as an officer in San Diego was widely known within the family.
“This would’ve meant a lot to my mother,” said Wendy Contreras. “I’ve heard the story my whole life that (my great-grandfather) … died as a police officer, so this is very nice that he’s being honored.”
The only surviving relative of Bowers in attendance was Donny Madison, the fallen officer’s grandnephew. A lifelong San Diego resident, Madison said that Bowers’ home in North Park is still owned by his aunt.
“Look at all these officers that have spoken about him, talked about the sacrifice, and what officers today and tomorrow and next week go through,” Madison said. “It really does hit home for us, my family and myself.”
The San Diego Police Historical Association said it is working to track down and ensure the families of all fallen San Diego police officers, whether nuclear or distant relations, receive a Police Cross. They said they are working to locate the descendants of a handful more.
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