This past Friday, people in Davis paid their respects to fallen Police Officer Natalie Corona, five years after she was shot and killed while performing what was a routine traffic stop.

Not that any encounter between police and the public should ever be considered “routine.” After going through a long period of training, Corona was in her second week of driving solo at night when she stopped at 5th and D streets to provide assistance.

That’s when a man, later identified as Kevin Douglas Limbaugh, rode up on a bicycle and started shooting at her patrol car, a fire truck, and a minivan. He was later found dead by suicide in his home only blocks away.

Since that dark day on Jan. 10, 2019, much has been written about Natalie and her dedication to police work, her professionalism and her exuberance. Scholarships have been awarded in her name across the county, benches in Davis and Woodland bear her image. Natalie has not been forgotten but it’s important her legacy and dedication are remembered in the future.

Several years ago, while editor of The Daily Democrat, I wrote that “the world lost a soul who would have continued to make a difference.” That feeling remains.

Former Police Chief Darren Pytel said at a ceremony honoring her that she could have one day been a police chief. As he said during her service held at UC Davis, Natalie’s enthusiasm, energy and passion were exceptional and should serve as an inspiration for those now in law enforcement as well as those who are considering a career in law enforcement.

Natalie’s funeral was live-streamed from UC Davis. More than 800 people attended, including many state officials. I can’t describe how moving it was to see a “sea of blue-uniformed” law enforcement officers from throughout Yolo County and California.

There were also many people who turned out on overcrossings and along the roadside to show their support when the funeral procession traveled between Davis and Arbuckle on Hwy. 113 and Interstate 5. People waved flags. Firefighters stood at attention and saluted as did those retired military, and emergency medical responders.

Arbuckle was where Corona lived with her family. I am sure they still mourn.

Corona’s murder and aftermath was the third time a law enforcement officer had been murdered while I served as editor of The Democrat. I oversaw the coverage of CHP Officer Andrew Stevens, who was shot and killed in November 2005, and the coverage of Yolo County Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Diaz, who was shot and killed in June 2008.

Each death was a tragedy, and while I had to maintain a “professional distance” to make sure reporting was timely and accurate, it was difficult to contain my emotions.

Months after Diaz was killed, The Democrat obtained camera footage from the vehicle. It was my decision to not publish any images from the murder and I later destroyed the disk because I was sickened by what I saw.

The other patrol officer killed in the line of duty on Sept. 7, 1959, was Douglas Cantrill. Cantrill Drive — where the Davis Police Department is located — is named in his honor. Like Corona, Cantrill had only been working a few months.

Cantrill’s body was found in his patrol car by a Davis couple. He had been shot in the heart. No one was ever found to be responsible. Few doubt that policing is dangerous work. Yet, there are officers who go an entire career never having drawn their sidearms while others seem to be magnets for trouble.

Then there are police officers like Natalie, who embodied the job of public service. It’s a tragedy we will never know her future.

Jim Smith is the former editor of The Daily Democrat, retiring in 2021 after a 27-year career at the paper.