Roll of Honor
Incident
Detective Charles Swanson suffered a fatal heart attack following a struggle with a suspect. He and his partner were preparing to search a location for a felony case when the suspects showed up at the location and then sped away. The two officers pursued the suspects until the their vehicle crashed and they fled on foot. Detective Swanson caught up with one of the suspects and arrested him after a violent struggle. He collapsed after placing the suspect in the back of his patrol car. His partner immediately administered CPR and called for assistance. Detective Swanson was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. Detective Swanson had been recognized as the Officer of the Year award twice during his 22-year career.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-6CAE8A93- 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
22 years. You could have gone home.
Detective Swanson gave the Eureka Police Department 22 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Eureka community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Detective Swanson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Detective Charles Dewane Swanson is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In CA, 52 of 1,837 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 2.8% of this state's fallen. That is 1.2 percentage points below the national rate of 4%.
At Eureka Police Dept., 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Dewane Swanson's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Dewane Swanson Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Dewane Swanson is highlighted in Nov.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Eureka Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
