Fallen Officers Curtis & Kocab

Since 1895 there have been 31 Tampa Police Officers killed in the line of duty. These honorable names shall never be forgotten. They are our history. They have made the ultimate sacrifice for the citizens of Tampa.

Since the first recorded police death in 1792, there have been more than 17,000 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. This blog is to honor Officer Curtis & Kocab who recently past away.

31 year old David Curtis had three years and eight months of service to the Tampa Police Department. He is married with four sons between the ages of eight months and nine years. He served with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office as a jail deputy prior to becoming a Tampa Police Officer. Officer Curtis is known as a family man, devoted to his wife and four sons. His sons are 8-month Hunter, 5 year old Tyler, 6 year old Sean and 9 year old Austin. He was an outstanding Tampa Police Officer who served on the plain clothes Rapid Offender Control Squad known as ROC prior to his current assignment in District Three.

31 year old Jeffrey Kocab had nearly 14 months as a Tampa Police Officer. He is married and his wife is nine months pregnant. He served with the Plant City Police Department prior to being hired by Tampa Police. Officer Kocab moved through TPD's training program at an accelerated pace because of his outstanding police skills. He was anticipating the birth of his first child next week.

June 29, 2010 at 2:15 a.m., Officer David Curtis attempted to pull over a vehicle at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and 50th Street. The car had no license plate. The vehicle eventually pulled over at 50th Street and 23rd Avenue. Officer Curtis determined the passenger was wanted on a worthless check warrant out of Jacksonville. He called for backup and Officer Jeffrey Kocab arrived. Together they approached the suspect's vehicle on the passenger side. The next communication came from a citizen calling 911 to report two officers were shot. The first responding officers found Officer Curtis and Officer Kocab on the ground and immediately began CPR. Paramedics transported both officers to Tampa General Hospital. Officer Kocab was pronounced dead shortly after arrival to the hospital. Doctors put Officer Curtis on life support. He was pronounced dead later in the morning.

At the time of the shooting, both officers were assigned to uniform patrol squad 306.

Crimestoppers offered a $100,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of these suspects.

The Tampa Police Department requests you call (813) 231-6130 or (813) 231-6130 to express your condolences.

If you would like to make monetary donation please make your checks payable to:

Curtis/Kocab Memorial Fund

Mail To:
c/o The Tampa Police Memorial Committee
P.O. Box 172995
Tampa, FL 33672

or in person at any Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union location.

http://www.pjtampabay.com

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