Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Rolland Morton and Special Police Officer Frederick Porter were killed in an aircraft accident while en route to Long Beach to offer assistance to victims of a recent earthquake. The chief of police had also requested that they check on Santa Monica residents who were working at a Long Beach dredging company. The Buhl CA-5 Airsedan crashed near Baldwin Hills after encountering an area of dense smoke and fog. Officer Ted Davis of the California Highway Patrol was also killed as a result of the earthquake when his motorcycle struck a bridge as he assisted with rescue efforts. Sergeant Morton had served with the Santa Monica Police Department for 11 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three sons, parents, and brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-CA-D5DD259D- 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.
Sergeant Morton gave the Santa Monica Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Santa Monica community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Morton.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Rolland Carl Morton 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 Santa Monica Police Department, 5 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 83.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Rolland Carl Morton's cause is highlighted.
How Rolland Carl Morton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rolland Carl Morton is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Santa Monica Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
