 Rick Cromwell
Rick Charles Cromwell, a City of Lodi police officer, died as a result of a motorcycle collision that occurred on Kettleman Lane while on-duty on Dec. 9, 1998. He was 35 years old.
He was hired by the City of Lodi in August 1988. Rick was a patrol officer for about five years when he was transferred to the Traffic Unit as a motorcycle enforcement officer, the job he was performing when his accident occurred.
Rick was an expert motorcycle rider, and was a State certified instructor for teaching riding skills to other police officers to prepare them for motorcycle assignments. He was very concerned with motorcycle maintenance, and he took it upon himself to be the lead officer in charge of the maintenance of the entire fleet of police motorcycles.
Rick was trained in the field of collision reconstruction. He was a court-certified expert in this field, and was frequently called upon to consult on all serious collisions in Lodi and for other police agencies. Rick was a critical member of the police department's Major Accident Investigation Team; and was considered to have a special talent of being able to determine the actual chain of events that caused the collision to occur.
He was born in Lodi and went to local schools. He graduated from the Lodi Academy in 1981, and went to the DeVry School of Industry in Arizona where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer technology.
Rick is missed as a son, as husband, as a father, as a police officer, and as a friend.
Gene Taylor 
On July 4, 1999, while on duty as a Police Partner, Gene fell to the street while directing traffic after the fireworks celebration at Lodi Lake. He died instantly from an apparent aneurysm. He was 69 years old.
Gene moved to Lodi in 1994 and, along with his wife, Barbara, decided the best way to get to know the community and the people in it was to join the Police Partners Volunteer Program. Gene never let anything interfere with his scheduled time as a Police Partner. Gene was a man who was dedicated to keeping whatever commitments he made.
Gene left a legacy of service to his community, dedication to his family and an atmosphere of love for all who were ever in his presence. Because of his dedication to duty, in the year 2000, Barbara was presented the Meritorious Service Award posthumously awarded to Gene by the Lodi Police Department.
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