Roll of Honor
Incident
Reserve Sergeant Charles Rea drowned after falling into a stream while attempting to rescue civilians trapped in the La Paloma Flats area of Big Tujunga Canyon during a flash flood. He and other members of the team were attempting to cross Big Tujunga Creek in order to reach the stranded residents when he was swept away. Reserve Sergeant Rea had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for 11 months and was assigned to Crescenta Valley Station, Montrose Search and Rescue Team.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-2049C38F- 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.
Reserve Sergeant Rea served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Reserve Sergeant Rea.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Reserve Sergeant Charles D. Rea 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 County Sheriff's Dept., 50 of 120 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles D. Rea's cause is highlighted.
How Charles D. Rea Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles D. Rea is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
119 officers from Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
