Chico police replace badges lost in Camp Fire

CHICO — Chico Police Chief Matt Madden presented nine former police officers with the badges earned in their service to the Chico Police Department, which had been lost in the 2018 Camp Fire on Thursday morning.

Madden said it was just one way he was helping those former officers find closure from the fire, and that meant something to the police chief, who raised his family in Paradise.

"Chico and Paradise have always been a very close community. So not only working and serving in the community here but raising a family and serving in that community as well," Madden said following the event. "(It) means a lot. And somehow, luckily, our house made it through the fire, but many others didn't."

Former Chico police Lt. Linda Dye holds up three badges Thursday, June 23, 2022 at the Chico Fire Training Center in Chico, California. The badges replace three that she lost in the 2018 Camp Fire. (Rick Silva/Paradise Post)

Chico Police Chief Matt Madden presents former police chief Jim Massie's daughter Sherry Massie with the medals her father lost in the Camp Fire. Jim Massey now now lives in Yuma Arizona and took part in the ceremony virtually Thursday, June 23, 2022 in Chico, California. (Rick Silva/Paradise Post)

Former Chico police officer Dave Richardson speaks after receiving his badge at the Chico Fire Training Center in Chico, California on Thursday, June 23, 2022. The badge replaces the one Richardson lost in the 2018 Camp Fire. (Rick Silva/Paradise Post)

Chico police chief Matthew Madden presents former Chico police Lt. Linda Dye with three badges at the Chico Fire Training Center in Chico, California on Thursday, June 23, 2022. The badge replaces three that she lost in the 2018 Camp Fire. (Rick Silva/Paradise Post)

Chico Police Chief Matthew Madden prepares to hand out badges to nine former Chico police officers, including two former police chiefs who lost their badges in the 2018 Camp Fire, on Thursday, June 23, 2022 in Chico, California. (Rick Silva/Paradise Post)

He said this was an opportunity to help those impacted by the fire that and worked for his department a chance to move on.

"You know, we’re coming up on year four, after the fire, and I know how impactful that was on so many people," he said. "And so being able to replace their badges kind of helped to move on and get past all their losses and all the emotions of what they went through."

The effort to replace the badges was led by members of Chico's Faith Community Group, who joined together to raise funds and work with vendor partners at Galls and Blackington, the largest U.S. badge manufacturer, to replace the badges of Chico Police Department retirees whose badges were lost in the Camp Fire.

Madden said that there were current police offers at time of the fire who were impacted by it and were able to replace those badges, but he knew that he couldn't use public funds to replace badges lost by former officers.

"But I just knew, man, I had nine retired folks out there that had lost all their memorabilia, and it just really bothered me," he said. "So, through my contacts, through community members that I know, got them assembled, we’re able to raise the money and donations, we got the company that makes the badges donate them."

Madden said that it took about a year to raise the money, and once they were ready to purchase the badges the company that made the badges learned why they were doing it and donated the badges. Madden said that gave them the capital to purchase the shadow boxes that hold the medals.

The nine officers included two former police chiefs, a pair of community services officers, a lieutenant, a captain and three officers.

Two of the officers honored, Matt Seipert and Rob Sheridan, were unable to attend the event as were both former chiefs — Trostle and Jim Massie.

However, Massey did attend the ceremony virtually and he thanked Madden and the badge company for all their work on the project.

"It's going to really great to get those and have them on my wall in my house," he said from his home in Yuma, Arizona.

The two community service officers that were honored were Tim Truby and Renee Anderson. It was Truby's first time back at the stations since he retired. Anderson still lives in Paradise and said that she couldn't have got through the last three years without the skills she learned while being at the Chico Police Department.

Former officer Dave Richardson said getting the new badge met a great deal.

"Really, I love my career at Chico PD," he said. "A few bad times, mostly it was just great, a lot of fun and working with great people who you knew had your back and you were supportive."

Lt. Linda Dye had a total of five medals, but she said that she was able to find two of the five in her burned out truck and trailer a couple of days after the fire. The vehicle was stuck near the Arco station in Paradise at Skyway and Bille road.

But she was able to get back up to her truck with the help of former Paradise Town Councilor Scott Lotter a few days later. She said later that her shadow box that held her medals had been in the front seat.

"Well, he took it upon himself to start digging. And he dug it he dug, dug and he did finally come up with the lieutenant's badge and I think one other I think got my flat investigators badge."

After Dye, Madden presented former Capt. Ken Klassen with his badges. Madden said Klassen helped him get his job at Chico Police Department while he was serving in Yuba City.

"You know, the Camp Fire was a major tragedy, but you know, in police work you deal with tragedies all the time and one of the things it does, as Renee (Anderson) kind of mentioned is that it builds his strength," Klassen said. "Or when something like the Camp Fire happens you lose everything like Dave and Rob did, you just have to push on."

But getting the badges back was very important to him.

"These badges they mean the world to me." Klassen said. "I lost all of them. They mean the world."

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