City to Erect Tribute to Slain CHP Officer

The city will erect a bronze plaque in memory of Don Burt, the CHP officer killed in the line of duty, at the site where he died last month.

Burt was shot and killed at the University Chevron gas station, 2950 E. Nutwood Ave., on July 13 during a traffic stop. The 25-year-old officer left behind a wife who is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

Since the shooting, a number of floral arrangements, wreaths, candles, cards and flags have been placed along the back wall of the station.

Because people continue to bring such tributes, Mayor Chris Norby proposed mounting the plaque there to honor Burt.

City Council members Tuesday unanimously approved Norby’s proposal and added that, if the gas station is ever razed, the city will move the plaque to another location.

“My husband died at a gas station,” Burt’s widow, Kristin Burt, told council members. “That’s where people know it happened. For my family and myself and many of the other officers, that’s where we find comfort.”

The plaque, 16 inches by 12 inches, will feature a bas-relief of Burt and an engraved tribute that “will allow people years from now to go by . . . and see that small plaque and say: ‘This is where this man met his maker in service to . . . our community,’ ” Norby said.

The plaque’s cost is estimated at $1,200. Local CHP officers have already pledged at least $450, and a trophy company has agreed to make the plaque and defray $300 of the cost. The city will pay the balance from its general fund, officials said.