We lost one of our family today with the sudden passing of Retired Officer Charles "Chuck" Chapman. Chuck retired from the Arcadia Police Department in March of 2002. He put in over thirty years with APD, first as a Police Cadet in 1967, and later sworn in as a Police Officer in 1970. Chuck was drafted and served in Vietnam in 1968.
During his long career, Chuck worked many years as a Traffic Officer, partnered with a K9 during the mid-1980's, and worked in the Detective Bureau handling Collision Investigations in the 1990's.
Chuck was a friend to many throughout Arcadia and loved the Santa Anita Race Track. Sad, but very fitting, his EOW is on Opening Day of the 2013-2014 race season at Santa Anita. Whether we knew him as Chuck, Officer Chapman, "Sqautch", "52-Tom", or "Portable 86", he was always a loving Dad and husband to his family. Chuck was 64 years old.
We will post additional information on services/condolences for Officer Chapman as they become available, as Chuck has been residing out of state.
On behalf of our entire family, I'd like to thank you all for your kind words and support... Words cannot express how much we appreciate everything the department and association has done to honor Chuck... The memories and funny stories that so many of you have shared have made us laugh, smile, and shed tears as well... As you know, Chuck moved away from California when he retired and lived in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so his funeral service was held locally. It was a nice service and we were overwhelmed by the number of people who came to pay their respects... I can only imagine what his funeral service would've been like if it had been held in California... I find it oddly comforting that he physically left us on Opening Day at Santa Anita... I smiled when I heard about the moments of silence over the radio just before it was time to deal with the traffic from the track... I was the only person here who understood and could appreciate the significance of Opening Day... I'm sure he enjoyed those moments of silence and would approve of that day to be his *end of watch*... Once again, thank you all for everything and for being a part of Chuck's life... Please continue to keep his amazing wife, Anne, in your thoughts and send her strength as well... Thank you and be safe, stay safe... - Gail Penprase-Beaumier
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