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# Santa Monica police officer dies in war
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-police-officer-dies-in-war/
- Published: 2005-12-31T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:27:42.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica, #archive-import

Local police officer Rick Crocker, 39, was a 10-year veteran of the SMPD and a major in the United States Marines Corps. On his second mission as a reservist, Crocker was killed on May 26 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the province of Al-Anbar.

In June, more than 1,200 people gathered at St. Monica’s Church to pay their final respects to Crocker. In addition to Crocker’s family and friends, the turnout of mourn-

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 31, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/123105.pdf?ref=smdp.com)