COVINA >> Police and city officials honored Covina police Sgt. Scott Hanson Sunday on the 10th anniversary the day he became the city’s first officer killed in the line of duty following an car crash.
Hanson’s former colleagues shared stories and memories of the 22-year lawman with his family, including wife Allison Hanson, daughter Sarah Hanson and son Andrew Hanson, at the Covina Police Memorial outside the Covina Police Department.
Scott Hanson raised his family in Covina, just down the street from the police station. Andrew Hanson, who followed in his father’s footsteps, has just completed his probationary period with Glendale Police Department, becoming a full-fledged patrol officer.
“It’s been 10 years. It feels like the blink of an eye,” Andrew Hanson said.
“This was a good way to honor my dad,” Andrew Hanson said of the intimate ceremony, which included a wreath presentation by an honor guard, and renditions of “Taps” and “Amazing Grace” performed by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Emerald Society. “This is the city he loved. I’m glad they love him back.”
•Video: Sgt. Scott Hanson Memorial 1
Sgt. Scott Hanson, 45, suffered major injuries when another vehicle ran a red light and struck his patrol car on Aug. 14, 2003.
Hanson fought to stay alive for nearly thee years before ultimately succumbing to the injuries he suffered in the crash on July 3, 2006.
Allison Hanson thanked the department for keeping her husband’s memory alive and strong.
“It was very much from the heart, and we really appreciate that,” she said of the memorial. “Everybody here is very special to us.”
Sarah Hanson has also drawn inspiration from her father’s legacy in choosing her own career path, her mother said.
She just graduated from California State University, San Bernardino, with a degree in kinesiology and hopes to find ways to avoid or reduce the severity of on-duty injuries to law enforcement officers, Allison explained.
Chief Kim Raney told of first meeting Scott Hanson as a new recruit. He shared stories of good times, ranging from police work to watching Hanson’s family grow up.
“Scott, continue to rest well, my friend, because you did it right,” the chief said.
•Video: Sgt. Scott Hanson Memorial 2
At the Covina Police Memorial, which was dedicated to Hanson when completed in 2013. At the time, Hanson was the only Covina officer to have fallen in the line of duty.
One other fellow Covina police officer has since been added to the memorial wall alongside Hanson’s. Officer Jordan Corder died following an on-duty motorcycle crash on Sept. 30, 2014.
Covina Mayor Kevin Stapleton said Hanson was mourned and missed as a member of the Covina community’s “family.”
“(He) did a lot for our community. He was a cog. He was one of the people that you could rely on. He was trustworthy. He was there when you need him. He did the job that needed to be done,” the mayor said.
Stapleton noted that Hanson died on the eve of Independence Day.
“Part of what makes America free is officers and fine police people like Scott Hanson and the fine job he’s done for our community,” he said. “I really want to respect and honor his memory.”