By C1 Staff
VACAVILLE, Calif. — A monument to a correctional officer who was killed at the California Medical Facility (CMF) 35 years ago was dedicated on Monday.
Albert Patch was killed during a struggle between two inmates at CMF on August 17, 1980, according to The Reporter.
A granite monument to Patch was unveiled on Monday and dedicated during a ceremony at the facility. The monument will be moved to the entrance where Patch worked.
The monument was donated by the Crime Victims Coalition, and the ceremony was put together by the California Crime Victims Coalitions, California Correctional Peace Officers Association, California Correctional Supervisors Organization and Volunteers of Vacaville.
“It’s just a great honor that he’s being remembered,” Kimberly Patch, his daughter, said before the ceremony began. “He was so well respected by his peers and in the community.”
Patch’s photo has been on the wall in the CMF administration building since 1984, and Al Patch Park was named in his memory.
Prison officials from around the state attended the ceremony, along with many staff members from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
CDCR Undersecretary of Operations Scott Kernan said the monument was “a long time coming” and called it “a simple act of praise for all who work behind the wall.”