On January 8, 1930, Bellingham Police Department Officer Otto Brown died from complications due to the injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash in March of 1929. Today we honor his life, his career, and remind his family his sacrifice and service to this community will never be forgotten.
On March 5, 1929, Patrol Officer Otto Brown was on his way to work, riding a Bellingham police motorcycle with sidecar. After turning off a side street onto Eldridge Ave, Officer Brown was struck from behind by a taxicab. Officer Brown was severely injured and remained in the hospital for several weeks. He recovered sufficiently to return to work, however, on January 8, 1930, he succumbed to complications from the injuries he sustained in the collision. He was survived by his wife and six children.
In 2014, after doing much research on Officer Brown`s death a current motor officer with the BPD Traffic Unit was able to provide sufficient detail to have Officer Brown`s death be recognized a line of duty death. A Washington State flag was flown over the state capitol on April 25, 2014, and his name was added to the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial monuments in Olympia and Spokane.
At the time of Officer Otto Brown`s death, fellow Bellingham Police Department Officer George H. Stillman, wrote this poem in his honor:
The Death of Otto Brown, Officer #11, January 8th, 1930
Once again has sadness struck us
In our little station house
and we miss him, yes, we miss him
as a brother of our own.
Once again we`ll march in sadness,
once again we`ll bow our head,
while we pay the silent homage
to the honor of the dead.
He was honest, brave, and gallant.
Had a kind word for each one.
In our hearts he`ll always linger
like the kind deeds he has done.
Sad are the hearts that beat
beneath the uniforms of blue,
for the Master now has called him,
As He`ll call for me and you.
by George H. Stillman, Officer #12
Rest in peace, Officer Brown, gone, but not forgotten. 💙
Visit Officer Brown`s ODMP page: https://www.odmp.org/officer/21841-patrolman-otto-brown
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Happy New Year from all of us to you!
Please plan ahead for tonight's festivities if you are planning to go out. Tonight is one of those nights were more people celebrate who might normally stay home. BPD officers have arrested 451 DUI drivers in 2025, so far, we would really like not to add to that total tonight.
We have additional officers working an impaired driver emphasis patrol. Please do not end your year, or start the new one, with a DUI and night in jail.
🚓 - have a sober driver for your group
🚓 - choose a rideshare to drive you
🚓 - walk home
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Wishing everyone in our community Happy Holidays! May your season be filled with joy and you collect many special moments with friends and family.
Thanking all first responders for their service and sacrifice, especially on the days throughout the holiday season. BPD's officers, dispatchers and support services specialists are hard at work to ensure the safety of our community. Thank you and stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less
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Sending our condolences to the members of the Washington State Patrol, family and friends of Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, Badge 720, as they mourn her in the line of duty death. She answered her last call on Friday, December 19th, responding to a traffic collision.
Our hearts are with her family and friends.
Rest in peace, Trooper Guting, we have the watch from here.The Washington State Patrol (WSP) confirms the tragic loss of Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting #720, who was killed Friday evening after being struck by a vehicle in Tacoma.
Trooper Guting was standing outside of her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision when she was struck just before 7:30 p.m. on southbound State Route 509 near milepost 2, south of the Port of Tacoma. Individuals on scene rendered aid, but the trooper ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) is taking over the investigation of the incident.
Trooper Guting, 29, began her career with the WSP as a trooper cadet in January 2024. She graduated with the 119th Trooper Basic Training Class, commissioning that same year on Oct. 30th. In that time, served in WSP District 1 in Tacoma.
Tara’s loss is deeply felt within the WSP family, and especially by her husband, Timothy, who himself serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the WSP Fire Training Academy in North Bend.
Tara Guting was born on July 19, 1996, to Russell and Cheryl Hirata in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii, and graduated on May 25, 2014. She began a career of service by enlisting in the Army National Guard on Oct. 22, 2014, where she served honorably as a Signal Intelligence Analyst until Oct, 21, 2022. Her dedication to service and commitment to her duties were evident throughout her eight-year military career.
She married Timothy on Aug. 21, 2019, at the Fire Training Academy.
She answered her final call Friday night, marking the 34th time in WSP’s 105-year history that the agency lost one of its own in line of duty.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “We will never forget Badge #720 – Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting.
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks… And with this loss, now tears flood our souls.”
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