27-year LAPD veteran officer dies from COVID-19 complications

A 27-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department has become the eighth LAPD officer to die from complications of COVID-19.

Officer Becky V. Strong, most recently assigned to the department’s South Division Traffic, died Monday morning, the department announced in a tweet.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that we mourn the loss of LAPD Police Officer Becky Strong, who passed away this morning from complications of COVID-19,” the department said Monday night.

“Our deepest condolences go out to Officer Strong’s entire family, colleagues, and friends in this most difficult time.”

Strong, whose age was not immediately available, joined the department in 1994.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League also mourned Strong’s death in a Twitter posting, which read: “Our prayers and love go to the family and colleagues of LAPD Police Officer II Becky Strong who passed away from COVID-19 complications. Officer Strong faithfully protected our city for 27 years. RIP Officer Strong, you will be missed.”

The department previously lost seven sworn and two civilian employees to the virus since the start of the pandemic, a number that had gone unchanged since April.

In April, Sgt. Anthony White, who had worked for the LAPD since 1990, died of COVID-19 complications at age 54.

On July 27, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said an LAPD employee was hospitalized in “very critical condition” due to COVID-19.

At that time, an additional 33 department employees had tested positive for the virus in the previous week, bringing the department’s total to 2,760 positive cases. Eighty-one employees were recovering at home, and 2,692 had returned to work.

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