Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Mata was killed in a single vehicle accident while he responded to backup another officer who was investigating a stolen vehicle.
During the response, Officer Mata lost control of his cruiser and struck a utility pole on the driver's side. Officer Mata's partner was injured in the accident and was freed by responding officers. Rescue crews had to use the jaws of life to remove Officer Mata from the cruiser. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Officer Mata had been employed with the Los Angeles Police Department for six years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, a recent graduate of the police academy, and his two young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-61DF1DFD- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer II Mata gave the Los Angeles Police Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer II Mata.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer II Robert Joe Mata 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. Robert Joe Mata's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Joe Mata Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Joe Mata is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
239 officers from Los Angeles Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
