Ceremony will honor fallen police

The city will honor two fallen Laguna Beach police officers during an unveiling ceremony Sept. 21 in front of department headquarters, according to a news release.

Artists Gerard Stripling and Michele Taylor teamed up on a sculpture titled “Eternal Legacy,” which pays tribute to officers Jon Coutchie and Gordon French, who both died while on duty 60 years apart. Crews began preparing the site for the installation a few weeks ago.

Coutchie, 41, was riding his motorcycle north on South Coast Highway at 11:45 p.m. Sept. 21, 2013, when he struck a pickup truck turning left onto Cleo Street. Authorities said Coutchie was thrown from his motorcycle and died at the scene.

French, 49, died Feb. 13, 1953. He had been shot by a prisoner attempting to escape from the police station after being booked on suspicion of writing a bad check, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time. The alleged gunman killed himself about two hours later at a San Clemente motel, according to the Times.

The ceremony begins at 5 p.m. and is open to the public. To accommodate the ceremony, Loma Terrace will be closed from 3 to 6 p.m.

The installation has been funded through donations raised by the Laguna Beach Police Employees’ Assn., Laguna Beach Community Foundation and the city.

The Police Department headquarters is at 505 Forest Ave.

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City adding stop signs near high school

Three new stop signs will be installed Monday near Laguna Beach High School, just in time for the start of school Sept. 2, according to a city news release.

The City Council unanimously approved the signs at its Aug. 5 meeting after several residents said the area is rife with speeding motorists.

One stop sign will be installed on Los Robles at El Camino Del Mar, and the other signs will be installed in each direction on Short Street where it meets El Camino Del Mar.

—Bryce Alderton

Twitter: @AldertonBryce