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Officer Down: Officer Bradley Moody
Calif. officer taken off life support, his organs saved a life
By Karl Fischer
San Jose Mercury News
RICHMOND, Calif. — Brad Moody, then 6, once told his mom he wanted to be a cop.
Why is that? she asked.
“To make this world a better place,” said his cousin, Pastor John Wright, at a memorial service today for the fallen Richmond police officer.
Moody’s childhood career choice proved prophetic. Friends and family took turns before nearly 2,000 police officers at Sleep Train Pavilion recalling the small things that showed Moody for the honorable, fair and friendly street cop that he was.
“Clearly Brad’s life ended too soon,” said Richmond Police Officer David Funk, Moody’s partner for years in a two-man patrol car. “He was a cop’s cop. He loved the job and he did it right. And when things got tough, Brad would just crack that trademark smile and elevate the situation to a better place.”
Moody, 29, died after a fatal wreck near the Richmond Police Department Oct. 5. He went off life support before his organs were donated Oct. 7.
A canine officer and SWAT team member, Moody spun out in his patrol car on rain-slicked Marina Bay Parkway and crashed into a light standard while responding to a call. His dog, Rico, survived without serious injury.
Before a huge contingent of officers from around Northern California, including about 100 police dogs, Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus posthumously awarded Moody the department’s Distinguished Service Award.
“Even under the best of circumstances, Richmond can be a challenging place to be
a police officer,” Magnus said. “But Brad accepted that challenge with enthusiasm and tenacity.”
Moody lived in Vacaville with his wife, Susan, and daughters Madison, 3, and Emma, 1. A large police procession from Vacaville to the Pavilion closed freeways and roads at times Wednesday morning in Contra Costa and Solano counties.
“Bradley, I am going to miss you, each and every day that passes,” Susan Moody said. “You were my whole entire world, and I can’t believe you are gone.”
The memorial was the second at the amphitheater for a Contra Costa County officer who died on duty in just more than a month. On Sept. 11, a memorial was held there for Martinez police Sgt. Paul Starzyk, who was killed trying to arrest a suspect in a domestic dispute.
Anyone wishing to donate to The Memorial Fund for Moody can bring checks to any Mechanics Bank branch or mail them to Mechanics Bank, 3170 Hilltop Mall Road, Richmond, CA 94806.
Copyright 2008 San Jose Mercury News