Memories of fallen officers still strong

Twenty years ago today, Vincent William Acosta stole a car in Santa Ana and fled from police.

Officers gave chase on the ground and by air. Several police departments helped follow Acosta, including helicopter units from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

The pursuit started at 9:55 p.m. Twenty-five minutes later, after a surprising midair collision with the Newport unit, Costa Mesa’s helicopter had fallen from the sky and exploded, and the two officers and a passenger who had been on board were dead.

“Everyone was numb,” said K.C. Gleason, a Costa Mesa police officer who was working the night of the 1987 crash. “At the time you realize that everyone still had a job to do.”

A display of flags at the Costa Mesa Police Department, put up Friday, honors the officers killed in the crash, John William “Mike” Libolt and James David “Dave” Ketchum. The passenger killed in the crash was Jeffrey Pollard, a civilian flight instructor.

In May, Costa Mesa Officer Rob Dimel will ride in memory of the two officers during an annual bike trip from Sacramento to Santa Ana that raises money for the families of fallen officers.

Ketchum and Libolt are the only Costa Mesa police officers to die in the line of duty.

Gleason, who has been with the department since 1980, remembers Libolt as witty and outgoing, and “a very tough competitor when it came to sports.”

Ketchum was more reserved, liked the outdoors and had hiked part of the John Muir Trail, which runs from the Yosemite Valley to the summit of Mt. Whitney, Gleason said.

They each had 15 years with the department and at least 3,000 hours of flight time, according to news articles at the time. Gleason said the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa helicopters didn’t see each other and collided. Costa Mesa’s chopper fell to the ground near UC Irvine, and Newport’s crash-landed.

Both officers left behind families. Dimel didn’t know them, but this will be the second year he’s ridden for them in the memorial ride, which benefits Project 999, a fund to help the families of Orange County officers killed in duty.

He said it’s important to him to keep the memories of all fallen officers alive, and the camaraderie of the 500-mile ride is one way to do that.

Dimel already is an avid cyclist, so he only does a little extra training for the ride. One of the toughest parts is hilly Big Sur, he said, but it’s a beautiful ride.

This year 80 Orange County law enforcement officers will make the bike trip, which takes about four days, said Marilyn McDougal, executive director of the nonprofit Sheriff’s Advisory Council, which helps organize Project 999.

The county has lost 39 officers in the line of duty, she said.

The legacy of Costa Mesa’s fallen officers will be a long one. The city of Costa Mesa named a park on Maple Street for them.

Because of the crash, local agencies with helicopter units put new safety procedures in place, and they still meet regularly to talk about safety issues, Gleason said.

“In my career, it went from virtually nothing to a tremendous network for safety, where safety is first with all units,” he said.

Gleason and Dimel, who now works in the helicopter as an observer but is training to become a pilot, said they don’t worry about flight safety. Dimel said he expects if something goes wrong, “It’s not going to be beyond the skill of our pilots.”

But Gleason won’t forget the accident. He keeps a memorial pin for Ketchum and Libolt on the bag for his helmet.

“Ever since they were distributed, it’s never come off my bag,” he said.

500-mile memorial

Costa Mesa Police Officer Rob Dimel will participate in a 500-mile bike ride in May to honor the city’s only two police officers to die on duty.

Here’s how to make a pledge to the memorial fund, which aids the families of Orange County’s fallen officers: Make checks out to Project 999 and mail them to Dimel at 361 Paularino Ave., Hangar 26, Costa Mesa, CA 92626.