Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway - San Clemente, CA
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 33° 24.483 W 117° 35.959
11S E 444273 N 3696685
A section of Interstate 5 in San Clemente is dedicated to a fallen officer.
Waymark Code: WMQQZZ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 03/21/2016
Views: 5
Taken from the website: A stretch of I-5 that runs through San Clemente is now officially designated as the Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway, in memory of the only San Clemente police officer killed in the line of duty.
Steed was shot and killed 33 years ago today – Nov. 29, 1978.
There's just one hitch about two signs that Caltrans erected along the freeway. They don't let motorists know that the honoree is a fallen police officer, and that has caught the attention of a local group that lobbied for the designation and raised $5,000 to pay for the two signs.
The signs say "Richard T. Steed Memorial Freeway." A California Assembly resolution adopted in August at the request of Assemblywoman Diane Harkey listed the designation as "the Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway."
"They're going to try to rectify it," said Al Ehlow, a retired San Clemente police chief who was active in the campaign to name a stretch of I-5 for Steed.
"They knew he was a San Clemente police officer," Ehlow said. "We sent them the bio."
Indeed, the Assembly resolution recites Steed's bio, including how he was shot while responding to a call for medical aid and his assailant was later committed to a state mental hospital.
Every year, a group of former SCPD members places flowers at Steed's grave in El Toro Cemetery. Ehlow said this year is no exception.
Katie Phillips, Harkey's legislative assistant, said she has contacted Caltrans.
"I have an e-mail into CalTrans regarding the issue to see if they can provide us with some answers," Phillips said via e-mail. "I received a letter from them in September which stated the sign would read "Officer Richard T. Steed Memorial Highway." Hopefully CalTrans will be helpful in facilitating the correction to the issue."
A stretch of I-5 just south of San Clemente, traversing Camp Pendleton, is named in memory of Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, a WWII Marine Corps hero killed during the battle for Iwo Jima. Freeway signs identify him by his title.
Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours:
24/7
Entrance fees (if it applies):
0
Type of memorial: Roadway
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