Officer Down Memorial Page - http://www.odmp.org

Police Officer James Edward Collard | Monterey Police Department, California
Monterey Police Department, California

Police Officer

James Edward Collard

Monterey Police Department, California

End of Watch: Sunday, April 20, 1969

Biographical Info

Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 3 years, 6 months
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Drowned
Date of Incident: April 20, 1969
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available

Police Officer James Collard drowned while attempting to rescue the occupants of a capsized boat off of Del Monte Beach.

Officer Collard and another officer had responded to the area of the newly constructed Holiday Inn after receiving word that a boat was in distress in the surf. Once they arrived the boat capsized and both occupants were thrown into the water. Both officers immediately entered the water in an attempt to reach the victims but were unsuccessful.

Two Coast Guardsmen were able to pull Officer Collard and the other officer to shore and began CPR. They were able to revive the other officer but Officer Collard could not be revived. One of the boating victims also drowned while the second survived.

Officer Collard was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Monterey Police Department for 3-1/2 years. He was survived by his four children, parents, and four siblings.