Roll of Honor
Charles Randall Champe
Incident
Police Officer Charles Champe and Police Officer Gary Howe were killed when their police helicopter crashed into a parking lot and burst into flames. The helicopter's engine failed while the officers were on routine patrol. Officer Champe was U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War and had served Los Angeles Police Department for 17 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-2712D45D- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Police Officer Champe gave the Los Angeles Police Department 17 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Charles Randall Champe served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Charles Randall Champe is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 719 of 1,837 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Los Angeles Police Department, 97 of 240 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 40.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Randall Champe's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Randall Champe Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Randall Champe is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
239 officers from Los Angeles Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
