Ventura County Sheriff's Office, California
End of Watch: Wednesday, August 12, 1998
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: August 12, 1998
Weapon Used: Automobile; Narcotics involved
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 13 years
Senior Deputy Lisa Whitney was killed when her unmarked cruiser was broadsided at the intersection of Telegraph Road and Hill Road.
A power outage disabled the traffic signals, and everyone was treating the intersection as a four-way stop, which is California law when traffic signals do not work. After Deputy Whitney stopped, she began to proceed through the intersection when the cruiser was struck on the driver's side door by a pickup truck whose driver, a 36-year-old woman, failed to stop. She was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
The subject, who was under the influence of methamphetamine, was found guilty of vehicular manslaughter in October 1999 and sentenced to 13 years. She had a prior manslaughter conviction for stabbing a man to death on a San Diego beach in 1981.
Senior Deputy Whitney had served with the Ventura County Sheriff's Office for eight years and was awarded Officer of the Year in 1996. She is survived by her husband, a police officer from another agency.