The final report on the accident, which took the life of Huntington Beach Police Officer Nick Vella, was released by the National Transportation Safety Board last month.
Vella, who died in a helicopter crash off the coast of Newport Beach last year, is the 54th Orange County officer who was killed in the line of duty to be placed on the memorial wall.
Jim Cota, who joined the department in 1994, praises the Laguna Beach community and says his decision came in part because of Huntington Beach Officer Nick Vella.
Condolences pour in from near and far for the family, friends and colleagues of Huntington Beach Officer Nicholas Vella, who died over the weekend in a helicopter crash in Newport Harbor.