Governor sends family condolences
DOWNTOWN — More than 1,200 people on Thursday said good-bye to Ricardo Crocker, a man who touched the lives of thousands of people while serving as both a Marine in Iraq and a Santa Monica Police officer.
Crocker was killed last week in Iraq while serving as a reservist for the United States Marine Corps.
The message that permeated throughout St. Monica’s Church was that Crocker will never be forgotten because of the impact he made on those who knew him will be carried on for as long as they live.
In addition to Crocker’s family and friends, the turnout of mourners included representatives from 15 police agencies, the U.S. Marine Corps and other Armed Forces, the district attorney of Los Angeles, four police chiefs from around the county — as well as several city and elected officials, and the majority of the Santa Monica Police force.
Mourners, many dressed in black and teary-eyed, began trickling into the church sanctuary at 8 a.m., greeted by St. Monica parishioners.
Several posters lined the entryway. There were photographs of Crocker with youngsters in scenic wilderness backdrops, as a participant in Police Activities League outings. There also were photos of Crocker in desert fatigues among his fellow Marines.
Between the photos, there were several salutations from loved ones. One read, “Rick, you were one of a kind. It’s too bad this had to happen so soon.”
The sanctuary was bright and airy, with several windows reflecting light inside from high above, and a golden-gilded dome above the altar.
A large headshot of Crocker in his police uniform and a life-sized photo of Crocker in his desert fatigues were up front, facing the mourners.
Four hundred seats of the 800-person-capacity sanctuary were reserved for uniformed law enforcement and military personnel. The remaining 400 seats were reserved for family, city employees and members of the public. Overflow seating was set up in front and just east of the church.
With an American flag draped over his silver casket, Crocker was carried from the sanctuary entrance toward the altar. The service, led by Monsignor Lloyd Torgerson, began shortly after 9 a.m. with the opening hymn “Be Not Afraid,” followed by Biblical readings from Crocker’s friends and colleagues.
One of the speakers was U.S. Marine Corps. Lt. Col. William Costantini, who said Crocker was involved in the effort to re-build Iraq by helping neglected parts of the country construct new hospitals, schools and government institutions. Crocker helped maintain relationships with mayors, Sikhs, mullahs and businessmen alike.
“Some men are willing to give the best of our nation in order to fulfill a great need,” Costantini said. “Rick was such a man.”
Crocker, 39, commonly known as “Rick,” was a 10-year veteran of the SMPD and a major in the United States Marines Corps. He was killed on May 26 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the province of Al-Anbar.
Crocker is survived by his mother, Jeanette; father, Curtis; sisters, Maria and Marisa; and brother, Carlos. Linda, a deceased sister, passed 11 years ago. Crocker had requested to be buried next to her in Puerto Rico.
Crocker held the rank of captain in the U.S. Marines when he was hired as a Santa Monica police officer on July 21, 1995. As a reservist with the Marines, he had already served in Iraq and had been re-deployed. Colleagues who worked closely with him said he had only been back a few months.
In addition to working with for the SMPD’s special entry team, the crime impact unit and PAL, Crocker served as a medic for SMPD’s SWAT team. He also worked patrol and had been a field training officer during his police career.
Crocker was accompanied from Dover Air Force Base to Santa Monica on Tuesday by United States Marine Corps. Major Craig Price. Price will remain with Crocker until he is buried on Saturday in Puerto Rico National Cemetery. Twenty-one Santa Monica police officers will attend the burial in Puerto Rico.
Crocker was escorted by his family, as well as military and police personnel, down Lincoln Boulevard from Los Angeles International Airport towards Gates Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy Mortuary in Santa Monica.
On Thursday morning, the motorcade — comprised of at least 30 police cars and 30 law enforcement motorcycles — transported Crocker from the mortuary at 8:45 a.m. to St. Monica’s Church. Following the ceremony, there was a reception held at the Casa del Mar Hotel.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote a letter of condolence to Crocker’s family, read aloud by Santa Monica Police Chief James T. Butts, Jr., who was the last lay speaker at the service.
“This is going to be difficult for me,” Butts said. “If I falter, it is not due to a lack of courage, but out of an abundance of love I feel for Rick.”
Butts relayed how he was introduced to Crocker in January of 1995 as part of a final interviewing process for candidates to become officers for the SMPD.
“We had a lot in common,” Butts said about his interview with Crocker. “I liked weight-lifting. He liked weight-lifting. We were both college-educated. We both liked gadgets. He liked to surf, and I hated sharks.”
The remark earned a round of laughs from the mourners that rang through the sanctuary in what was an otherwise moving and emotionally-draining ceremony.
Butts went on to tell how he was so impressed with Crocker he decided to hold a vacancy in the police department for six months until Crocker finished his Marine duties that July, a measure he had never taken for another candidate.
Butts said he felt confident in his decision, in part because he felt confident in Crocker.
“Rick never was bogged down with the question ‘why’?” Butts said. “For him, it was always ‘why not?’”
Crocker was described as man full of life and optimism who was patriotic and loved the Dodgers and the outdoors. And he always chose to see the positive over the negative.
Butts read the most recent e-mail the SMPD received from Crocker, dated May 7, weeks before his death. “... It’s tough on everybody, feeling numb, tired,” Butts said, fighting back the tears. “Have a mission in a few days. Not much else to say.”
The majority of mourners, including Marines and police officers, broke down and cried.
“Rick, we cry because we miss you,” Butts said. “We will smile, because we remember you.
“Rest in peace, my friend.” Crocker will be flown to his final resting place in Puerto Rico. In the meantime, Crocker’s body will remain at Gates Kingsley & Gates Moeller Murphy Mortuary, which offered its services for free.
There was a full rendering of military honors before the casket departed. Crocker was removed from the sanctuary to the front of St. Monica’s Church, where the mourners gathered.
Three rifle rounds rang out and the flag resting on Crocker’s casket was folded and given to his mother, Jeanette. ■ In lieu of flowers, Crocker’s family has requested that any donations be made to the Santa Monica Police Activities League. Checks should be made payable to: Santa Monica PAL, C/O Santa Monica Police Department, 333 W. Olympic Drive, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 3, 2005. Read the original PDF.