Gary E. McCullah
Deputy Sheriff

Gary E. McCullah

Accident
End of Watch September 30, 1968
Age 29
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Badge 3020
The Vigil Panel 104 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Gary McCullah and Deputy Sheriff Robert Schnur were killed in a helicopter accident in Dark Canyon. The helicopter struck abandoned telephone wires in a canyon and crashed on land owned by Rose Hills Memorial Park. The helicopter and its crew were not reported missing until the next morning when Deputy Schnur’s wife called. A search was started and the helicopter's crash site was located at 7:30 am. Autopsies determined both deputies were killed on impact. Deputy McCullah had been with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for six years.

Survivors

He was survived by his fiancée.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff McCullah gave the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department 6 years.
Thank you for your service to the Los Angeles community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff McCullah.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Other
Location Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, CA
Platform Identity lacso.losangeles.ca.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 30, 1968
Tour of Duty 6 yrs
Age 29
Badge Number 3020
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

Gary is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1968, 100 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 6th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Gary was 29. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. Gary had served 6 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

September holds 9.2% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Mondays: 13.4%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Gary among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Deputy Sheriff Gary E. McCullah

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department · End of Watch September 30, 1968

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 19-W

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