On what should have been a quiet 42nd birthday, Reserve Deputy Lloyd G. Constantine never made it home. Assigned to the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station, Constantine was killed on June 24, 1964, when a suspected drunk driver reportedly ran a stop sign and slammed into the patrol car he was riding in at Laurel Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. His partner survived the crash. Constantine did not.
Department Remembers
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the agency marked the anniversary of the fatal collision with a public tribute, recalling Constantine's service and sacrifice. The department's official list of peace officers killed in the line of duty, published by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, records the June 24, 1964 crash and notes that Constantine had served seven years as a reserve deputy.
Life And Service
Off duty, Constantine worked in the motion picture industry as a scenic artist. On his own time, he logged long hours in uniform as a volunteer, serving as a reserve deputy whenever he could. The California Peace Officers' Memorial Foundation notes that he was 42 years old at the time of his death and that he was survived by his parents, a brother, and a sister.
Crash Site And Context
The collision unfolded at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard, a crossroads that is now one of West Hollywood's busiest corridors. Department records state that the patrol car was hit broadside and overturned onto the sidewalk. In its anniversary post, the department paired its remembrance with a pointed reminder of the human cost of impaired driving, using Constantine's story as a sobering example of how quickly a preventable choice can turn deadly.
Legacy
Constantine's name is etched into county and state memorials that honor peace officers killed in the line of duty, and the West Hollywood station has remembered him in past observances. This week's tribute from the department underscored the risks that reserve deputies willingly take on when they volunteer to patrol the city, serving alongside full-time deputies and facing the same dangers every time they roll out of the station.
