Floyd Harold Bernie Swartz was a 33-year-old Pinole, California police officer who was killed in the line of duty on May 3, 1980. A Vietnam veteran who had left the Air Force early to become a full-time officer, Swartz had served with the Pinole Police Department for ten years. He was shot in the throat while taking part in an operation to apprehend a murder suspect hiding in dense weeds behind a residential area; the suspect opened fire as officers tried to coax him out and Swartz later succumbed to his wounds.

The suspect had been wanted in the abduction and brutal stabbing of a 19-year-old girl four nights earlier. After a five-hour standoff the suspect surrendered and was later convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, including Officer Swartz’s killing.

Swartz left behind three children and his death deeply affected the small 14-officer department and the Pinole community.\n\nDid anyone in the community have contact with Officer Swartz or remember the events around May 3, 1980?