Officers Salute 3 Who Fell in Line of Duty

SANTA ANA —  Among the hundreds of Orange County peace officers gathered Wednesday in the Plaza of the Flags, one thing all shared was a small black strip on their badges, meant to honor three comrades who had died in line of duty in 1996.

The three deaths--an unusually high number for the county in a single year--were those of California Highway Patrol Officer Don J. Burt, Brea Police Department Det. Terry L. Fincher and Placentia Police Department Officer Joey Little.

Adding another somber note to the 11th Annual Orange County Peace Officers’ Memorial ceremony was the shooting death of a Glendale police officer the night before.

Brea Police Chief William C. Lentini, Wednesday’s keynote speaker, searched for meaning in the deaths.

“I have no answer as to why your loved ones were taken from you so early in life,” he told the crowd of 550, “but if I were to hazard a guess, it would be that God called them to heaven because they had already left their mark on humanity.”

Burt, a rookie officer, was killed during a routine traffic stop in Fullerton last July. His wife, Kristin Burt, was pregnant at the time and attended Wednesday’s ceremony with the couple’s first son, Cameron Don Burt, now 8 months old.

Kristin Burt, who has already attended state and national ceremonies for fallen officers this year, said Wednesday’s event in Orange County held special meaning.

“This is the last public memorial, and it’s at home,” she said. “Everything’s going to quiet down now, I hope.’

Burt said she was planning a vacation, possibly in Europe.

“Far away,” she explained, “where nobody knows who Kristin Burt is, and where I can just forget for a little while.”

The suspect in Don Burt’s shooting, Hung “Henry” Mai, is awaiting trial.

Fincher, a veteran police detective, was killed last year by an oncoming train while searching along railroad tracks for a crime weapon. Fincher’s wife, Brenda Fincher, set flowers behind the memorial plaque for her husband Wednesday.

Fincher was remembered as an Officer of the Year and Medal of Honor recipient.

Little suffered major health problems after his car was hit by another that had run a red light while he was on duty in 1989.

After suffering from brain and other injuries for seven years, Little asked last year to be removed from life support.

Little’s father, Ken Little, attended Wednesday’s ceremony and remembered his son as someone who was fun to be around, but could also be serious when he needed to be.

He said that the memorial ceremonies he has attended have a special meaning for him, but that he could never put the incident behind him.

“It needs to end, but it never ends,” he said. “I hope no one has to experience this.”

The total of three peace officers killed in a year is the highest ever in Orange County, and has been reached four times since 1912.

In his speech, Lentini noted that the 117 officers killed nationwide in line of duty last year were the fewest in almost 40 years. But he added that even one officer is too many.

“Make no mistake,” Lentini said, “we will not be satisfied until the only reason for coming to this place is to celebrate because no officers had to give their lives for the safety of others.”