WHEREAS, Detective Monty L. Conley and Detective Joe R. Landin of the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department were killed on August 5, 1985, while performing their duties on behalf of the citizens they swore to protect; and

WHEREAS, Detective Monty L. Conley was born in Shamrock, Texas. He lived there until 1955, when he moved to Woodlake, California. He attended Woodlake High School and the College of the Sequoias. At 19 years of age, he became Woodlake’s youngest police officer. In 1973, he joined the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department, where he worked in the jail and patrol divisions and later as a detective in the narcotics units. Detective Conley was a dedicated officer who served his community and loved his profession; and

WHEREAS, Detective Joe R. Landin was born in La Mesa, Texas, where he lived until the eighth grade. He then moved to Woodlake, California, where he attended high school. After joining the United States Marine Corps, and serving in Vietnam, he returned to Woodlake in 1972 and attended the College of the Sequoias. He became a Woodlake Police Officer in 1974. Upon joining the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department in 1981, Detective Landin worked in the jail and patrol divisions. As a detective, he was assigned to the Sheriff’s Tactical Enforcement Patrol and the narcotics unit. Detective Landin was a dedicated officer who served his community and loved his profession; and

WHEREAS, On August 5, 1985, Detective Conley and his partner, Detective Landin, were investigating a narcotics case near the town of Pixley, California, in southern Tulare County. While the two were traveling in Detective Conley’s vehicle, they collided with another motorist who ran a stop sign at over 85 miles per hour. Both detectives lost their lives as a result of this tragic incident. The other motorist was tried and convicted of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and served a prison term of five years and four months; and

WHEREAS, Detective Conley is survived by his only son, Matthew, who is now a Tulare County Deputy Sheriff; and

WHEREAS, Detective Landin is survived by his loving wife Bette, and his three children, daughter Monica and sons Joe and Chris, who are both now Tulare County Deputy Sheriffs. His mother, Lucia, his sister Mary (Landin) Cisneros, and brothers Robert, Edward, and Fred Landin also survive him; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate to memorialize the sacrifice made by Detective Conley and Detective Landin by naming a portion of State Highway Route 198 in their honor, and to remember the sacrifices made by California peace officers across the state who risk their lives daily to protect citizens’ lives; now, therefore, be it