Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Charles Morgan was struck and killed by a flat car train while pursuing a stolen vehicle at 12:30 am.
Officer Morgan was traveling west on Philadelphia Street on his motorcycle, investigating a report of a vehicle being stolen from the Greenleaf Dairy. As he pursued the car, a train started switching tracks. The railway crossing did not have a signal. In an effort to avoid the train, he turned his motorcycle to the curb, and he was thrown off. He landed under the wheels of the flat car train.
He was transported to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
Officer Morgan was a United States World War I Army veteran and served with the Whittier Police Department for over two years prior to the war and recently returned to the agency.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and parents.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-C40437B4- 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 Morgan gave the Whittier Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Whittier community. Thank you 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 Morgan served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Police Officer Charles Morgan 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 Whittier Police Department, 1 of 4 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles Morgan's cause is highlighted.
How Charles Morgan Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles Morgan is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Whittier Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
