Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Charlie Cortez died after the 24-foot fisheries enforcement vessel he was in capsized after being struck by a rogue wave in the Puget Sound, Washington, at about 9:00 p.m.
He and his partner had just escorted a distressed boater into Tulalip Bay when their vessel was struck by the wave and capsized. A search was immediately initiated by tribal, local, state, and federal agencies in the area. Officer Cortez's partner was located in the water suffering from hypothermia near Hat Island at about 11:45 p.m. and rescued by tribal fishermen.
Officer Cortez was not located, and due to cold water temperatures and adverse weather conditions, it was determined that Officer Cortez could not have survived. The search and recovery operation was suspended on November 19, 2020.
Officer Cortez had served with the Tulalip Tribal Police Department for three years.
Survivors
He is survived by his son, daughter, parents, brother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TUL-TR-D68461D6- 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.
Police Officer Cortez gave the Tulalip Tribal Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Tulalip community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Cortez.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Charlie Joe 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 WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Tulalip Tribal Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charlie Joe Cortez's cause is highlighted.
How Charlie Joe Cortez Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charlie Joe Cortez is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
, WA.
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Tulalip Tribal Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
