Roll of Honor
Gilbert Cortez
Incident
Sergeant Gilbert Cortez and K9 Mattie were killed in an automobile accident Route 79, near San Felipe Road, in San Diego County.
Sergeant Cortez was part of a convoy of state corrections K9 officers who were en route to inspect the La Cima Fire Camp in a rural part of the county. His marked vehicle veered off the roadway and overturned, killing K9 Mattie. Sergeant Cotez was transported to a local fire station but died before a helicopter could reach him.
Sergeant Cortez had served with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for 23 years and was assigned to the Southern Regional K-9 Unit.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two children, and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-6AEF4D1F- 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
23 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Cortez gave the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation 23 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of California. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Cortez.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Gilbert Cortez 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 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, 7 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Gilbert Cortez's cause is highlighted.
How Gilbert Cortez Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Gilbert Cortez is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
