Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Richard Romero was killed in a helicopter accident while working on a multi-agency narcotics task force along the United States border. A suspicious vehicle was spotted in a canyon on a remote access road in the Mountain Springs Grade area. The UH-1H helicopter began to descend when its rotor blades struck power lines and caused it to crash in the foothills of the Laguna Mountains. Also killed in the accident were Investigator Michael Davis of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Roy Chester of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Sheriff James McSweeney of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Mark Tonkin of the Orange County Sheriff's Department, and the three California National Guard crew members operating the flight. Sergeant Romero was a United States Marine Corps Vietnam War veteran and served with the Imperial County Sheriff's Office for 14 years.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-CEC87855- 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.
Sergeant Romero gave the Imperial County Sheriff's Office 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the El Centro community, and 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
Richard Grijalva Romero served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Richard Grijalva Romero 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 Imperial County Sheriff's Office, 5 of 7 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 71.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Richard Grijalva Romero's cause is highlighted.
How Richard Grijalva Romero Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Richard Grijalva Romero is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
6 officers from Imperial County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
