State bill aims to honor former Laguna Beach Police Officer Jon Coutchie by renaming bridge

Nearly a decade after the Laguna Beach community lost one of its protectors, an effort is afoot to recognize him for the ages to come.

State legislators are working to rename the Aliso Creek Bridge in Laguna Beach after Jon Coutchie, a motor officer who lost his life in the line of duty.

Coutchie died at the age of 41 while engaged in a pursuit of a reckless driver on Sept. 21, 2013. Since his passing, the Laguna Beach Police Department has kept his memory alive in a fallen officers remembrance ceremony.

A bill (SCR 74) authored by state Sen. Janet Nguyen seeks to rename the Aliso Creek Bridge, part of the South Coast Highway in Laguna Beach, as the Officer Jon Coutchie Memorial Bridge.

Jon Coutchie, pictured, was a motor officer for the Laguna Beach police department. He graduated from Laguna Hills High in 1989.

(Courtesy of Luciana Coutchie)

Introduced to the state Legislature on June 5, it passed an initial hurdle with a unanimous vote of support from the Senate Transportation Committee on July 12. The bill must pass the Senate and the Assembly before it can be signed into law.

Nguyen said she was approached by Laguna Beach police personnel about doing something to honor Coutchie earlier this year. The interaction occurred during a highway dedication event for former Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella, who had also spent time with Laguna Beach’s department.

“This is something that’s long overdue,” Nguyen said. “It’s something that I’m extremely honored to do because Officer Coutchie dedicated his life for the residents of Laguna Beach. I wish it were sooner, but this is the right moment, the right time for us to do it, and it’s perfect.”

On that fateful day, Coutchie’s parents Robert and Luciana became members of what his mother referred to as “the club that nobody wants to belong to” — parents who have lost a child.

Jon Coutchie, pictured, lost his life in the line of duty for the Laguna Beach police department on Sept. 21, 2013.

(Courtesy of Luciana Coutchie)

“All the parents that I have spoken to throughout the last 10 years, we all want our children to be remembered,” Luciana said. “We like to talk about our children. A lot of people don’t want to mention their name because it might hurt you. Yes, it might, but we still want to talk about our children. …

“For me, his name is going to be out there, so that’s a good thing for me because he will be remembered. I think he accomplished and did quite a bit with his life, so I think he deserves it. … I’m immensely grateful to all the people who worked so hard on this.”

Luciana said her son, a 1989 graduate of Laguna Hills High, joined the Army following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He did four tours of duty, two each in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Jon was always a protector,” Luciana added. “One of his high school mates stopped me after he died, and he said, ‘You know, we were in water polo together, and I was the small one. The teammates used to pick on me, and Jon would always get between them and tell them off because we’re on the same team and why were they doing that.’ He said, ‘I always thought he was my protector.’

“As a ranger, that’s what he did. … One of the things that he wrote that I read after he died was he was in Iraq, and he said he wished he could take all the children and send them to the United States because they had no chance at life there. Even there, he was thinking of protecting the children.”

The Aliso Creek Bridge in Laguna Beach, as seen on Thursday afternoon.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Much of Coast Highway in Orange County has already been dedicated, so officials identified the Aliso Creek Bridge as an appropriate location for the recognition. Asked about the location, Mayor Bob Whalen suggested that the bridge would be a fitting tribute to Coutchie’s memory, as the late Dana Point resident crossed it every day on his way to work.

“What always stood out for me with Jon was the level of respect he had from his fellow officers,” Whalen said. “It sounded like Jon was a fun guy to be around and upbeat. The other officers really enjoyed working with him, and he was just fully disciplined and dedicated to his job and really loved it.

“When Jon passed away through his motorcycle accident, it was really a blow to the department and took a long time, I think, for people to sort of process it and get through it, but Jon was beloved by those who knew him and worked with him.”

Police Chief Jeff Calvert, who attended Laguna Hills with Coutchie, said that his former classmate and colleague graduated as the honor recruit from the Golden West Police Academy in 2008.

“Jon frequented this area while doing speed enforcement on his motorcycle and crossed the bridge commuting back and forth to work from his home in Dana Point,” Calvert said. “Having the sign on the Aliso Creek Bridge, overlooking Aliso Beach, is the perfect place for Jon’s memory to be kept alive in our amazing beach community.

“When Jon first passed, we tried to have a memorial sign placed in the city. It did not come to fruition at that time, and we recently revisited it with Sen. Janet Nguyen and her team. They quickly supported our request and recognized the contributions Jon made to our country as a war veteran and the city of Laguna Beach. It was only fitting that we find some significant way to honor him, and dedicating a location of Coast Highway where he passed away was the perfect opportunity to memorialize his name for all to see.”