Officer Terry Long

At 3:00 AM on June 18, 1970 officer Terry Long, riding with Cadet Kent Livingston, stopped to assist Officer Gary lee Slattery, who was out investigating a possibly intoxicated pedestrian in front of a driveway on Monterey Avenue. Livingston pointed out two armed men to Officer Long, who radioed for assistance before losing sight of the men, who by then moved toward the rear of the house.

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On the arrival of assisting Officer Bryan Hatch, Hatch and Long confronted one of the suspects, who held an object in his hand. The suspect fled and Long, who had taken a position of concealment, then saw the second man about twenty feet in the distance, holding a rifle. Long ordered the armed man to drop his weapon, at which time, the suspect fired at him, striking him about two inches above the waist. The bullet shattered Long's spine, paralyzing him from the waist down. Long said later that being shot was the last part of the incident he remembered. Long's life was saved by Officer Manuel "Tony" Arceo, who braving continued gunfire, crawled on his belly to where Long lay, pulling him from his exposed position to a safer one with better cover.

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Long's assailant was struck by a round fired by Officer hatch. Paralyzed from the waist down, the suspect was convicted of the attempted murder of Officer Long and sentenced to state prison.

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Long's career with the El Monte Police Department ended and he continued a successful practice as a lawyer until he died of cancer in 2004. His death was contributed by the effects of his paralysis.

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Thank you Officer Long for your heroic efforts and for your sacrifice.