WHEREAS, Kenneth James Collier was born June 4, 1970, in Portsmouth, Virginia, and moved to San Diego with his family in 1977. He grew up in the Santee area and graduated from Santana High School in 1988; and

WHEREAS, Ken Collier attended Grossmont College and California State University, San Diego, where he majored in administration of justice, and he first became intrigued with a career in law enforcement through conversations with deputies coming to and going from the Santee Sheriff’s station near where he worked; and

WHEREAS, Ken Collier began his law enforcement career with the San Diego County Marshal’s Office in 1997, working as a field service officer and later a court service officer; and

WHEREAS, In 2000, the marshal’s office merged with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, where Ken Collier continued on as a court service officer. In August 2001, he was hired as a Detention Court deputy sheriff and continued to serve in detention facilities, the Detentions Training Unit, and the Court Services Bureau; and

WHEREAS, In July 2006, Ken Collier was hired as a law enforcement deputy sheriff and joined the Santee station in September 2006; and

WHEREAS, Deputy Collier was described by his supervisors as a steadfast and dependable people person, and he received a commendation for his dedication and dependability, as well as an Exemplary Performance Certificate. He was well-liked and respected by his colleagues; and

WHEREAS, Deputy Collier is survived by his fiancée, Karen Li, whom he was to marry on what would have been his 40th birthday, June 10, 2010, in Kauai, Hawaii, his sister Nancy Robinson, and his brother Lauren Collier; and

WHEREAS, Deputy Collier was killed in the line of duty, at 39 years of age, in the early morning hours of February 28, 2010; and

WHEREAS, Shortly after 3 a.m., Deputy Collier and his ride-along sheriff’s dispatcher, Ryan Debellis, came upon a driver heading eastbound in the westbound lanes of State Highway Route 52 in the City of Santee. Deputy Collier advised dispatch and attempted to overtake the wrong-way driver by driving his patrol vehicle in the center median shoulder when it struck a bridge abutment. After rolling several hundred feet, Deputy Collier was ejected into a ravine that Mr. Debellis also managed to reach moments before the patrol vehicle burst into flames; and

WHEREAS, Despite the valiant efforts of fellow deputies and officers from all over the county, emergency medical responders, and hospital personnel, Deputy Collier succumbed to his injuries. Mr. Debellis is expected to make a full recovery; and

WHEREAS, The fact that a suspect was arrested and will be charged is of little consolation for the tragic loss of Deputy Collier to his loved ones, friends, colleagues, and the community he served; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of the contributions and sacrifice made by Deputy Collier, it would be a fitting tribute to designate the Oak Canyon Bridge in Santee as the Deputy Sheriff Kenneth James Collier Memorial Bridge; now, therefore, be it